不潔な火—Impure Fire
by CrescentiC
Summary: He is the demise of all that is pure and good—so why can't she kill him? *Sequel to Angel Fire*
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (** **青の祓魔師（エクソシスト** **)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

"In nomine Deus, et auferes malum de Assiah.

Bellum Fatum, Vita Mori.

Sic animae in manu forti et det vires;

Stare adversus Satanam, eiusque miseri deamones.

Nos ex Deus sumus.

Amen."

 _In God's holy name, I shall purge Assiah from evil._

 _War and Fate, Life and Death._

 _With this mighty hand and soul, let Him give me strength;_

 _To stand against Satan, and his wretched demons._

 _We are one with God._

 _Amen._

* * *

 **不潔な火—Impure Fire**

 ** _Prologue_**

* * *

" _He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you_."

— Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146 (1886)

* * *

 **Knights of the True Cross, Deep Keep. 1:20 P.M.**

* * *

 **He couldn't stop thinking about his plan.** His brilliant, master plan. The plan that took years to organize so perfectly and precisely for this moment. All these years he spent infiltrating the Knights of the True Cross will pay off as he executes the mission he was trained to accomplish since his teenage years. His emotions whirled furiously in his heart, intoxicating and euphoric, yet he remained calm and collected on the outside—and he was playing it very well. He was currently in the Knights' Japanese secret facility: a facility for storing, monitoring, and researching demonic substances and beings. The core of the facility, known as the Deep Keep, stores the most dangerous substance of all. A substance he was required to collect. He spent years gaining the trust of the Exorcists as their warden for the Deep Keep in order to get close enough to the substance.

He fixed his black square spectacles with his fingers for the hundredth time as he observed the tall stone pillar before him. It was preserving a sickly dark object stored in a smaller glass capsule. The dome was ingraved with multiple symbols of seals, with more etching the pillar that was holding the hazardous object. It was in the centre of a ambient, dark room the size of a large foyer. There were pillars arranged neatly in rows, with cascading metal stairwells and short pillars on the floor. Water submerged the floor and the short pillars had fluorescent green lamps illuminating the nearby walkways across the still water. The Keep was eerily dark and warm, displaying the appearance of a laboratory.

He approached the computer monitoring the black object and entered a command that shut off the security measures around the object.

He pulled out the dagger he hid in his boot, rolled up his sleeves, and sliced his arm clean. He bleeded heavily while a black shadow oozed out of his wound and reformed into a shadowing figure with a torn black cloak and gas mask. It envelopped the glass dome and was capable of removing the marks and seals on the glass. He wrapped his wound in a long bandage he had prepared. He observed in amazement when the seals cut into the glass refilled and disappeared. He gingerly removed the paper seals off the glass and lifted the dome off. There was a cold sweat on his forehead as he reached for the object, while still in its protective glass container, and observed it in astonishment. It was a circular, black orb with a white iris and black pupil, with smaller black dots encircling the pupil. It emitted a ghostly black mist from within the bulbous glass container.

He smiled in satisfaction and pulled out a replicated version of the black orb and container and placed it on the pedestal of the pillar. He locked up the object in the dome and quietly exited the Deep Keep.

He made his way through the building in a rushed pace. He bumped into multiple exorcists and researchers on the way out, and he was anxious due to the fact he was smuggling out a highly poisonous object in his pocket. He was surprised no one had dropped dead yet.

"Saburota Todo," a man called.

He turned his head to find one of the other wardens of the Deep Keep approaching him.

"What is it?" The man named Saburota Todo asked.

"I know this is on such short notice, but we will have to prepare the Deep Keep for a visitor who will be arriving shortly."

Todo's heart dropped slightly. "... What do you mean?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Since the incident a few hours ago with the Son of Satan becoming feral and burning down the True Cross Academy's forect district, and the revealed identity of the Archangels Raziel and Amitiel, there have been new regulations set as of right now. Were you not informed of this?" The warden asked.

Todo appeared clearly confused. "No, I wasn't. Who will be arriving here soon?"

The warden hesitated for a moment. He paused for a breath, and answered, "... the Archangel Raziel, sir."

Todo felt his mind was going to explode in frustration and anger. He could see himself grabbing the warden's neck and snap it like a twig, but all he could do was rub his temples with his fingers. "... I see. Prepare the Keep then."

"Yes, sir," the warden complied and walked away.

Todo looked away and observed his feet on the floor. He could feel his shaky hand touch the glass container in his pocket, and he couldn't stop biting his lip and nails out of anxiety and desperation. His plan was going accordingly well until this minor incident. If the archangel is here to see the Left Eye, it would be idiotic to assume that the Archangel Raziel would not figure out the decoy Eye Todo had replaced for the real one.

There was only one thing left to do. He had to create a distraction somehow and still manage to have the Left Eye.

Once all the preparations were set: bolstering security and seal enhancement, a small group of exorcists followed a tall man dressed in the usual exorcist uniform. A long, elegant sword in a beautifully designed scabbard hung beside the exorcist's hip. He had sharp, chiseled features of a man in his mid-forties with Balbo-style facial hair. His dark chestnut hair was slightly combed back in a messy fashion with noticeable grey areas around his ears. His vivid forest green eyes looked naturally threatening along with the constant frowning of his thick eyebrows.

So this was the Archangel Raziel.

Raziel approached Todo with his hands clasped behind his back. "You are Saburota Todo, executive warden of the Deep Keep, correct?" Raziel spoke, his voice sounded majestic and low in a way, while seemingly intimidating.

"Archangel Raziel," Todo spoke and bowed to him. "It is truly an honor to be in your holy presence." A part of Todo wanted to laugh at such irony. He was not fond of angels whatsoever, so when he found out they were real, he couldn't help but laugh hysterically when he did.

"I mean not to be rude, but I must see to the Left Eye of the Impure King at once," Raziel jumped to the point of his arrival.

"May I ask why you need to see it?" Todo asked with a tinge of curiosity in his voice. "This is part of the security process."

"I have had visions of tremendous catastrophe to come. The existence of the Son of Satan has confirmed the end of Assiah, but there are other, lesser threats that can contribute to your kind's demise. I must investigate the Eye to see if it is deemed dangerous," Raziel spoke plainly.

Todo gave an understanding nod. "I see. Right this way, please." He gestured Raziel to the way and he followed.

When Todo and Raziel, along with security guards and exorcists, arrived at the Deep Keep. Todo unlocked the glass dome covering the Eye and allowed Raziel to step forth. At this point Todo's heart was thumping uncomfortably. It was only a matter of time before Raziel discovered the truth.

Raziel observed the object with a keen eye. He raised his hand and the Eye floated up and hovered over Raziel's hand. He narrowed his eyes annd focused on the details of the Eye and the horrendous black mist it was releasing within the glass container. Everyone, especially Todo, were tensed up and cautious.

After a long pause of inspecting the Eye, Raziel sighed and turned around to Todo. "I will have to bolster your security protocols, Mr. Saburota," Raziel spoke.

Todo's heart stopped. "What do you mean?"

"I am afraid this Eye," Raziel clenched his fist and the glass container floating above his fist shattered and he caught the Eye in his naked hand, "is a counterfeit."

The exorcists and security team all gasped.

Todo began to shout in protest, "that's impossible! We have inspected the Eye before your arrival and no person without consent has entered the Deep Keep!" His screaming was genuine, yet his emotions were fixated on the fact his plan had been foiled.

"Humans cannot percieve even the biggest changes. I did not sense the presence of the Impure King in this object." Raziel tossed the Eye to Todo and he caught it. It was only a rubber ball.

"Secure the facility, no person shall enter or leave until the culprit is found along with the Eye," Raziel spoke quickly and effectively, and the exorcists and security personel proceeded to put the bulding into lock down. The emergency sirens sounded and the red lights of a security breach turned on.

" _Oh, you mean this thing?_ "

Raziel, Todo, and the others turned to the pillar that stored the Left Eye. There was the shadow figure clad in a black robe and gas mask. It held up a glass container with the real Left Eye in it.

The exorcists shouted and those who were Dragoons pointed their assault rifles at the intruder. Raziel unsheathed his long, ethereal blade and went into a standard fighting position. Todo acted nervous and panicked, though it was just a cover as he knew the plan all along.

"Who are you?" Raziel barked.

The figure didn't respond and it lauched a large ball of shadow at the ceiling. It exploded, creating a large, open hole in the ceiling. The figure flew out and Raziel quickly followed after it while the exorcists immediately began to secure the facility while others followed after Raziel. Todo followed as well and he pursued the masked figure.

It was all going according to plan now.

The figure jumped into the streets of Tokyo, pushing through floods of people, while Raziel and Todo and their teams followed. People scurried and some dodged out of the way as Raziel shouted for them to move away. The black figure was deeper and deeper into the crowd of people to the point Raziel almost lost sight of it, and had to rely on his angelic senses to track it down. While the masked figure ran through the people, it passed the Eye to one of the people that was running by it so effectively it couldn't have been seen by anyone. Todo smiled at the runner and they exchanged nods. The man who had the real Eye followed the crowd and disappeared in it.

Raziel suddenly appeared in front of the masked figure and he swung his sword at it. The figure stopped his attack with his black cloak, but Raziel kicked the figure off a great distance and it hit through the wall of a nearby building. People screamed and panicked and pooled out of the streets, attracting emergency services and vehicles. Raziel slashed his holy sword so effectively it sliced through the cloaked figure. Black smoke shot out of the cut, forcing Raziel to cover his eyes with his sword. The figure escaped into the building while Raziel was distracted. Raziel and Todo and some exorcists followed the figure through. While they chased the thief, the Knights of the True Cross succeeded in isolating the region and evacuated all civilians.

Todo, Raziel and some dragoons and tamers were able to corner the masked figure on an empty street on Block 5 of True Cross Town. It was a very low-income neighborhood and garbage laid everywhere. The buildings looked as if they were going to collapse or haven't been repaired in decades and were left to rot.

"There he is! Corner him!" An exorcist shouted when he spotted the masked figure on the street. Around the block, exorcists blocked off any access with yellow caution tape and some stood on guard for any curious civilians.

A young woman holding hands with her young son witnessed the exorcists standing on guard and asked, "exorcists? Has something happened?"

"This area is too dangerous, miss. Please return to your home at once," the exorcist commanded.

"Oh, y-yes...!" The woman appeared frightened and pulled her son with her to the opposite direction. "Come on, Satoru!"

"An exorcist?" The boy smiled in excitement. "I wanna see the exorcists fight!"

The boy broke free from his mother's grip and went under the yellow tape towards the continuing fight.

"Satoru!" The mother screamed.

The figure spotted the runaway boy and proceeded to kidnap him. The boy screamed in horror while the masked man held him tight around his sensitive throat.

The mother screamed in tears and ran for her boy, but an exorcist restrained her.

"S-Stop!" Todo screamed.

Raziel grit his teeth while an exorcist shouted, "damn! Now he has a hostage!"

"Release the boy this instant!" Raziel barked, threatening to launch an attack on the figure, but the figure seemed unthreatened.

"L-Let the boy go! Y-You're cornered! Killing him w-won't help you!" Todo pleaded desperately.

The masked man remained silent and brought the glass container up and proceeded to open it. Suddenly, the exorcists panicked.

"S-STOP!" Todo screamed even louder, but the figure opened the container, releasing the potent black mist into the air around him and the boy.

* * *

 **An hour later**

* * *

Yukio, Shura, Rin, and Amitiel managed to arrive on the scene they had been summoned to. Crowds of curious civilians were attracted to the crime scene and the exorcists blocking the way were struggling in directing the people away. The four pushed their ways through the heavy, chattering crowd and reached the end.

"Man, what a crowd!" Rin remarked. "Something really bad must've happened!"

Shura, on the other hand, was not so excited, as she had been complaining about the arid heat since they left the training room. She began to regret wearing her exorcist jacket, which was starting to soak up the sweat under her armpits. "Ugh... it's too hot for this... let's go home already!" She complained.

"All right! Time for some action!" Rin smiled and smacked his fist against his palm.

Yukio and Amitiel weren't very amused by Rin's enthusiastic behaviour.

An exorcist blew a whistle and shouted for everyone to return to their homes, yet most ignored.

"Okumura Yukio, intermediate exorcist first class," Yukio spoke as he showed the exorcist his I.D. card, Shura showed hers and the exorcist allowed the four of them to pass.

Yukio and the others were led to Saburota Todo, who was being treated for an injury to his face.

"I'm sorry for being late," Yukio introduced himself and flashed his I.D. card again.

"... And I'm Kirigakure.. first class... senior... whatever..." She spoke in a daze and wobbled with her I.D. card in her hand.

"Oh, I-I'm... uh—who's that?" Todo pointed at Rin.

Rin chuckled in confidence and asked, "who? Me? I'm Rin Okumura, an Exwire! Here to kick some demon ass!" He pointed his thumb at himself.

Todo jolted in fear. It was quite obvious when he backed away. "The Son of S-Satan?! But isn't he dangerous!?" Todo shouted. His uneasiness silenced Rin right up.

"Well, while yer concern is appreciated, the higher ups approved it," Shura huffed, clearly not in the mood like Rin was.

"I'm still against it," Amitiel added. "It would be better if the Son of Satan were not alive at this moment."

"Hana, that's rude..." Rin puffed out his cheeks.

"Stop calling me that," Amitiel almost snapped, which made Rin recoil in defense.

"Anyways, Amitiel an' I are supposed to keep him in check," Shura added. "Don't worry too much."

"What's the situation?" Yukio asked. "Are you in charge?"

"Y-Yes. Let me e-explain," Todo said, though he was still clearly in shock.

"But sir, in your condition—!" The female doctor protested.

"N-No... I need to explain. I'm Saburota Todo, senior exorcist second class and warden of the Deep Keep," Todo's voice shook. "R-Raziel and I were in charge, but Raziel was s-summoned to an emergency meeting with the Vatican c-concerning the recent incident. W-What started this incident was w-when the Left Eye of the Impure King h-had been s-stolen from the D-Deep Keep!"

Shura, Yukio, and Amitiel were shocked. "How did that happen?!" Shura gasped. "The Deep Keep is protected by the strongest, most secure barriers!"

Rin was the only one who didn't understand the severity of the situation.

"W-We still don't know how it happened!" Todo panicked. "I pursued the thief with an elite team of exorcists, but it managed to grab a child as a hostage. He used the Eye to spread its poisonous gas across the neighbourhood, injuring 31 people, including civilians, and we are short-staffed on doctors."

Todo pointed at a nearby building. "N-Now he's escaped into that building with the child."

Todo's face became pale. "T-The child was severely exposed to the poison. It o-only takes a few minutes for the gas to kill anyone. H-He's probably dead... a-and it's all because of my poor leadership! T-This is the worst failure in all of the Knights' history!"

"It's true that because of your inability to control the situation that a child had been killed," Amitiel spoke bluntly.

Todo gasped and tried to fight back tears.

"Whoa, Amitiel! Ya don't need to be so friggin' rude about it!" Shura gasped.

"W-Who are you...?" Todo spoke nervously.

"My name is Amitiel, the angel of Truth."

Todo's heart felt like it dropped a thousand storeys. Why is the angel of Truth here? She is the only one who can see through his lies, after all.

Amitiel bent on her knees and looked deep into his dark, citrine eyes. He felt a sense of fear in him when he stared into her deep amber eyes. There was a white glowing speck in her pupils.

"Do you know who the masked man could be?" Amitiel asked.

Todo's heart hammered so hard against his chest it was painful. If he lied, he could give away his position and Amitiel would be suspicious of him. He had to answer in a way that was true but not enough for her to be suspicious of him.

"I-I don't know. But I'm positive i-it could be a member of the facility. T-There have been cases of spies trying to get a-ahold of any information about the Left Eye. M-Mostly for biological warfare," Todo spoke, this time his uneasiness was true.

Amitiel stared for a moment longer and retreated from looking into his eyes. "Thank you for your honesty."

Amitiel turned around and frowned as she looked up at the building the thief was currently in. She could feel it's presence, and she began to question the genuinety in Todo's response. He did know the culprit, yet it wasn't human. It was a demon, so it would be a lie for him to say that it were a member of the Deep Keep.

She felt as if he was trying to play around and manipulate the truth to hide the real answer.

Amitiel looked back at Todo, who was being treated for his injuries. She then looked back at Yukio, Rin, and Shura.

"Pardon me, but—" The mother of the child approached everyone. "Will my son be alright?!" She was choking back tears. "You've got to save him!"

"Are you his mom?" Rin asked and she nodded. "Don't worry! I promise we'll save him!" Rin smiled confidently. Suddenly, Yukio pulled Rin's shirt and shoved him aside.

"What the hell, Four-Eyes?!"

"We cannot guarantee the safety of your son. You should expect the worse," Yukio spoke solemly and seriously.

"Oh, god, no!" The mother panicked and burst into tears.

"Oi! What the hell was that? You just killed her confidence in us!" Rin protested.

"You're leaving, Rin. Shura and Amitiel will be watching you," Yukio said as he walked away.

"That's bullshit! I said I was going to—"

Yukio grabbed Rin by the collar and yanked him, which silenced him right up. "Exorcists aren't omnipotent! It's impossible to save everyone, and sometimes we can't help. You shouldn't make any promises!"

"Don't ya dare make up shit like that before ya even tried! Ya coward!" Rin protested, his eyes scorched in anger, forcing Amitiel to draw a blade in preparation. Shura jumped in and dragged Rin away.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Shura spoke as she led Rin away.

"Leggo of me, Major Tits McGee!" Rin shouted.

"Why don't you just let me kill him, Yukio?" Amitiel asked as Yukio began to slip in a HAZMAT suit. "I see how much you despise your brother."

Yukio stopped dressing and looked up at Amitiel. She still had those empty, soulless eyes that could send someone into a sense of fear. "He's still my brother, Amitiel. Even if he can be very dangerous."

"You know he will destroy the world, just like he did to Shiro Fujimoto," Amitiel added.

Yukio fixed the suit and placed the large headset over his head. "He hasn't killed anyone—and he never will."

Yukio approached Amitiel, a little too close, and lowered his voice. "I need you to reconsider this: Is your mission 'elimination'? Or is it murder?"

Yukio and Amitiel stood staring at each other in hostility. Amitiel was first to break contact. "I'll be accompanying you," she added.

"I don't need your help. You have a job to do, right? So do it," Yukio spoke sharply.

"You said exorcists aren't omnipotent, yet you have an omnipotent being before you right now," Amitiel said in superiority. "I think the situation requires my presence. I can sense both Rin and the thief at this moment, and I could kill both of them in a blink of an eye."

Yukio knew he was in no position to doubt the angel of truth. Not even the Paladin can defy the angel's commands.

"... Fine," Yukio huffed and walked over to Todo, who was also in a HAZMAT suit.

"Mr. Saburota?" Yukio said.

"I sh-should go as well..." Todo spoke nervously.

"Your injuries are too severe and your exposure could kill you," Yukio tried to protest.

"I received an antidote. I'm responsible for this, so I want to go," Todo looked away to hide his agitated state.

Yukio remained silent. "I understand. Let's go."

Yukio, Todo, Amitiel, and some exorcists entered the building. Upon opening the door, a black fume pooled out and dissipated in the air.

"I'll lead this expedition. Todo and Amitiel, you cover the middle and the rest take up the rear. If you see anything suspicious, notify me," Yukio spoke and everyone nodded in aggreement. "This pseudocanary will notify us if the intruder is near." Yukio gestured to a cage holding a small yellow canary, it was constantly singing.

As the group cautiously walked into the darkened hallways of the run-down building, the concentration of the poisonous gas increased with every step, causing the place to be filled with black mist which made it difficult for the exorcists to see ahead of them.

"I've heard some great things from you, Mr. Okumura, despite your complicated background and age," Todo remarked in amazement.

"I've also heard the Todo family is a bloodline of noble exorcists that took on the burden of watching over the Deep Keep," Yukio said. "But I have very little knowledge on the Left Eye. What is it?"

"The Left Eye belonged to an ancient demon known as the Impure King. It killed over 40 000 people through pestilence 150 years ago during the late Edo period. The exorcist Fukaku defeated it by plucking out its eyes and sealed them. It was a desasterous catastrophe. I'm still indignant the history books do not highlight this incident to the public," Todo spoke.

"Is there a Right Eye?" Yukio asked.

Todo continued, "yes, but only a few know of its location, including me."

"The masked man has started moving again," Amitiel spoke, closing her eyes and sensing his presence.

"I'm confused. You're an angel, and yet you're in a HAZMAT. You said you were omnipotent," Yukio said.

"My vessel isn't," Amitiel replied. "Hana would still suffer from the poisonous gas if exposed."

"Did you kill Hana for her body?" Yukio frowned.

Amitiel shot him a disdainful look. "No, she died of a brain tumor."

Yukio remained silent and irate, though he knew she would tell only the truth.

Amitiel suddenly grabbed her blade and threw it at Yukio, he gasped and it flew right passed him and hit the wall. At the same time, someone yelped behind Yukio. Yukio turned around to find Rin, traumatized and scarred out of his mind, as the blade had wedged itself centimetres away from his head.

"H-Holy shit, I almost _died_ again!" Rin shuddered heavily. His tail curled underneath him like a startled puppy.

"NII-SAN?! What are you doing here?!" Yukio shouted. "Where's Shura?!"

"Oh? I just knocked her out," Rin smiled in a goofy manner. "In case you didn't catch my sarcasm—I'm just kidding."

Amitiel gave him the most threatening look it actually gave him ants in his pants.

"What? It's fine as long as I'm with you, right...?"

Yukio facepalmed.

"I promised I'd save that boy! I can't break my promise to his mom!" Rin spoke seriously. Rin pointed at the bird. "Can I just... hold the bird then?"

"Absolutely not," Amitiel approached him. He threw his arms up and covered his eyes, expecting to be punched or something, though she just collected the blade beside his head and slipped it back in her sheath. "You will compromise this mission. I'm taking you back to Shura." Amitiel grabbed Rin and began to drag him away.

"Wait," Yukio said. He looked at the bird in the cage he was holding. It stopped chirping. "The masked man is near."

"How do you know?" Rin asked.

"It's a pseudocanary. It sings constantly, but stops in the presence of a demon," Yukio explained.

"Perhaps it reacted to you, since you are the Son of Satan," Amitiel crossed her arms.

"Hey, I'm human too, y'know!" Rin protested.

"I'm afraid Nii-san will have to stay with us," Yukio said. "I can't to waste any more time."

Yukio, Amitiel, Todo, Rin, and the other exorcists delved deeper into the building, until they came face to face with the masked man in a corner.

"There he is!" Rin shouted.

The masked man stood beside the boy, who was on the ground panting heavily. He was covered in large boils on his face and body. Yukio and Todo were surprised he was still alive.

"The boy's alive, but he's in critical condition! We have to hurry!" Yukio shouted.

The black figure began to move forward, provoking Yukio to point his pistol at it. Amitiel unsheathed her blades while the exorcists behind her pulled out their weapons.

"You stop right there!" Yukio shouted and cocked his gun.

The figure took another step forward.

"Stop!" Yukio ordered. "One more step and I'll shoot!"

The figure took another step and Yukio shot. As soon as the bullet hit the figure, it exploded in shadow, releasing a powerful force that sent everyone falling back. Yukio gasped when the container with the Left Eye fell and smashed onto the cracked concrete. Everyone regained their balance and looked around. The man was no where to be seen.

"He's gone...!" Rin gasped and he charged for the boy on the ground.

Amitiel looked frantically around, using her senses to track any sort of presence in the building.

Yukio approached the broken container. The Eye laid on the ground, yet there was no putrid black gas being produced. He picked it up and noticed it was made of rubber.

"This is a fake..." Yukio noted.

Rin looked at Yukio, who was in shock and confusion as he observed the object. Rin looked behind Yukio and noticed an exorcist was approaching Amitiel from behind.

"Hana! Look out!" Rin shouted. Amitiel felt a cool breeze behind her and looked back, only to see one of the exorcists charging at her and throwing a punch, which she easily dodged. The exorcist managed to knock out every other member and charged for Yukio while he was distracted. Amitiel swung her blade and sent a wave of white light at the exorcist. A black shadow reformed in front of the exorcist and deflected her attack.

"Yukio!" Rin and Amitiel shouted, which snapped Yukio back to reality.

The exorcist swung his leg and kicked Yukio. He hit the wall and tumbled on the ground.

"Yukio!" Rin shouted again as Yukio struggled to stand back up. "What the—!" He looked up and saw Todo looming over him. The shadow envelopped Todo, surrounding him in a ghostly black haze.

"Mr. Saburota!?" Yukio shouted in utter shock.

"Oh darn..." Todo ripped the HAZMAT suit off him, exposing him. There were white horns protruding from his forehead and his ears elongated into furry wolf-like ears. "Now my identity's out. At least I can still buy some time for them."

 _He's... possessed...!_ Yukio gasped.

"Nii-san, take the boy and get out of here! Amitiel and I will handle him!" Yukio shouted.

"Okay, bro!" Rin nodded and picked up the unconscious boy and bolted for the end of the hallway.

"I can't let you go just yet," Todo spoke and the shadow zipped towards Rin, envelopping Rin.

"OI!" Rin looked at the shadow covering him. He hugged the boy and burst into blue flames. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The blue flames erupting from Rin burned the boils on the boy, provoking him to scream in absolute pain. Rin gasped and dropped the boy onto the ground.

"Nii-san!" Yukio shouted, unaware Todo was about to kick him again. Amitiel managed to punch him before he could hurt Yukio anymore. He flew against the wall and hit it so hard it cracked.

"Get the child to safety!" Amitiel shouted at Rin. Yukio pointed his gun at Todo, who merely smirked and raised his hands up in surrender.

"I can't! It hurts him when I pick him up!" Rin shouted.

"There's no use in saving him," Todo spoke.

Yukio cocked his gun, though Todo seemed unthreatened by it.

"Yukio. I'm going to exorcise him. If I fail you'll have to shoot him," Amitiel spoke and Yukio nodded.

Amitiel charged at Todo. The shadow protecting him zipped at her and she dodged it by swinging herself in the air, using momentum to fling herself off the ground. She slid on the ground towards Todo and he grabbed her. He punched her and drove his knee in her stomach, though she wrapped her leg around his neck and rolled him over her and drove him into the ground. She grabbed the sides of his head and forced him to look in her eyes. Her hands and eyes began to glow as she chanted in an unknown language. Todo didn't seem fazed and only laughed at her. Amitiel looked at him in utter confusion as what she was doing was not working. The demon was not leaving. It was as if the demon was a part of Todo.

"What are you...?" Amitiel spoke.

"A more powerful being than you petty angels," Todo laughed. He kicked her off him and she landed right in a ring of lamb's blood he had prepared earlier, as part of the plan. Amitiel tried to run but was prevented from stepping out of the ring of blood.

"Hana!" Rin called.

"It's _Amitiel_!" She shouted, clearly annoyed.

"Todo, what is the meaning of this?!" Yukio shouted.

"Why don't you pay attention while I speak?" Todo spun and kicked him in the back, forcing Yukio to the ground. "You're a lot like I used to be!" Todo went on top of Yukio and latched on to his hands and bent them in an uncomfortable position, preventing Yukio from attempting to escape his grip.

"Let go of him, ya bastard!" Rin charged at Todo, but the black shadow stopped Rin in his tracks.

"My life and fate had been planned since the day I was born, and I never got to do anything for myself. I wasn't able to voice my own opinions, and when I did, I was shut down. I was like a slave that worked for the Order, and my family. I looked up to my older brother and father, but what did I get in return? Nothing. I felt they had taken my own free will." Todo adjusted his glasses as he looked at Amitiel. "That's when I decided to acknoledge my own feelings and emotions. I despised my father, my older brother, the organization, and this damned world!"

Yukio grit his teeth and Amitiel could only place her hands on the invisible barrier caused by the ring of lamb's blood around her.

"And then _they_ approached me, and gave me a chance to decide my own fate!" Todo smiled, as if basking in the light of Heaven.

"You're weak to let a demon seduce you..." Yukio growled.

"There is weakness and darkness in every heart. I chose to embrace it, and it made me stronger," Todo looked down at Yukio. "I wonder what hidden desires you keep, Yukio Okumura."

Todo stopped to check the time on his watch. "Oops, time's up. I better get back." Todo said as he lifted up off Yukio and cracked his back.

"You bastard.." Yukio tried to stand up.

"I'm thankful I had the chance to talk to you," Todo backed up to the dark corner of the hallway. "You may not understand what I said, but in time, you will. And when you break, I'll be welcoming you, Yukio Okumura."

"Wait a second!" Yukio shouted and Todo disappeared in the black shadows. The shadow preventing Rin from approaching Yukio disappeared as well. He looked around the corner but he was no where to be seen.

"He's gone, Yukio," Amitiel said. "Though I still don't understand. Todo is a demon, yet he isn't possessed."

Yukio was too fazed to listen to her.

"Yukio!" Rin shouted. "Are you all right?!"

Yukio snapped out of his trance and looked back at Rin, who was on his knees beside the boy.

 _Snap out of it, already!_ Yukio shook his head.

"I think we're losing him! My flames burnt the growths, but then they just got bigger and worse!" Rin yelled.

"There's no time! I'll treat him right here!" Yukio shouted and he dropped to his knees, threw off his helmet, and prepared the medicine from the supplies on his belt.

"Are you sure you can do this? Let me—"

" _NO!_ just shut up and let me do this!" Yukio screamed in a panic, which took Rin aback. Normally he was always the calmer twin.

 _Okay... I just need to insert the antidote into the growths without rupturing them... concentrate!_ Yukio frowned and began injecting the needles into the boy's welts. Rin and Amitiel watched as Yukio worked his magic. The welts began to shrink and dry up as Yukio pumped the medicine in them. He pushed the needle into a welt, but it ruptured, spilling viscous yellow fluid over the adjacent welts. Yukio cursed and moved on to another.

Rin noticed Yukio was struggling. The welts he started working on burst, and it was becoming more frequent. Yukio stopped when he noticed his hand was shaking so much he couldn't effectively pierce the welts without popping them.

 _My hand... why am I shaking so much? I feel... just like when I was a kid. When I saw demons, all I could do was tremble and cry._ Yukio grit his teeth. His heart was beating so hard and he was sweating profusely despite he was cold.

Yukio gasped when he recalled what Todo had said.

 _There is weakness and darkness in every heart. I chose to embrace it, and it made me stronger._

"YUKIO!" Rin screamed when Yukio drove one of the needles into his own arm, causing it to bleed.

 _I'M NOT LIKE YOU!_

Yukio managed to cure the boy of his injuries afterwards, which brought sweet relief to both Rin and Amitiel.

"Huh...? Where am I?" Satoru asked meekly.

"You're safe with us. You had a little accident," Yukio smiled, which caused the boy to smile. "Mommy's gonna kill me."

Rin wiped the sweat off his forehead and Yukio picked up the boy in his arms.

"Good job, little bro," Rin patted his twin on the shoulder.

Yukio smiled in satisfaction and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um..." Amitiel spoke. "Can someone get me out of this?" Amitiel pointed at the ring of lamb's blood on the floor.

"So much for being omnipotent," Yukio smirked.

* * *

 **A/N: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ.**

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 **OMG ITS HAPPENING**

 **ITS STARTED**

 **Welcome back everyone! Thank you so much for all your support for Angel Fire. Since you have been so good to me, I decided to continue this story. As usual, please review as it will help me improve as a writer with your feedback! I've had such a busy year so IM SO SORRY FOR THE DREADFUL WAIT! orz**

 **I warn you: my OC Amitiel will be pretty Mary-sueish, since she is pretty omnipotent as an angel, so please bear with me.**

 **This chapter is still a little bit on the draft side, so I may edit it a little more in the future.**

 **PS: That Japanese translation for the title is probably all wrong lol. And the Latin prayer is probably shit as well. Oh well. Anyone that can translate those languages could maybe give me a hand?**


	2. Chapter 1: Rend Asunder

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (** **青の祓魔師（エクソシスト** **)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

 **不潔な火—Impure Fire**

 ** _Chapter 1: Rend Asunder_**

* * *

 **After a busy and stressful morning of all times, Satoru, the young boy that was kidnapped by the masked man, was saved thanks to Yukio's heroic efforts**. It touched Rin to tears when the little boy reunited with his anxious mother.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The mother pleaded with happy tears.

"You're very welcome," Yukio smiled warmly.

The young boy and mother boarded an ambulance, where they would be taken to the hospital to monitor his recovery.

Yukio stopped smiling and ran his hand through his sweaty chocolate brown hair. The sun was high in the sky and noon was approaching, which only made the heat worse. The ambulance drove away and Yukio was left on his own again. Amitiel walked up beside him and the two just stood silent for a moment.

"He's been affected with Temptaint. He will be able to see demons now," Amitiel spoke as she watched the ambulance drive away. "I think it would've been better if he didn't survive."

"At least he was spared from a gruesome death," Yukio replied automatically. "I'd rather see demons then die like that."

Amitiel looked at him and replied, "I know that's a lie."

Amitiel walked away, leaving Yukio alone once more to his thoughts.

Rin managed to stand beside Amitiel. She was observing the building she and Yukio came out of. It seems she was scanning the building for any trace of Todo and the Left Eye. Her arms were crossed firmly over her chest and she didn't waver her gaze from the building.

"Hana—I mean, Amitiel," Rin spoke beside her, though he was surprised she didn't back away. "I know this isn't important but—what trapped you in that ring?"

Amitiel didn't waver to him. "... It's lamb's blood. It's one of the things in this material world that can stop me. Have you heard about Passover?"

"Uh..." Rin bit his lip, as if she was testing him. "... No clue."

Amitiel sighed and answered for him. "It's an event that occured in ancient Egypt. The Angel of Death slaughtered first borns unless their homes were painted with lamb's blood on the doorways," she explained. "Lamb's blood to angels is like salt to demons. I couldn't step out of the ring unless someone outside it disturbed it," Amitiel said.

"But you have telekinetic abilities, right? Why couldn't you disrupt it yourself?" Rin asked.

"When I'm inside a ring, my powers are supressed. It's similar to what Kurikara does to your flames," Amitiel responded. She blinked and shook her head. "That's one weakness of mine you can't use against me, Son of Satan. I'll stop you before you do," Amitiel brushed past him, a little too roughly, and walked away.

Rin frowned. He was upset she had become so distant and cold towards him. Amitiel had opened up so much to him and now she was shut down. It felt as if they were back to their first meeting—except she hasn't threatened to slit his throat yet.

" _Excellent_ work, Okumura-sensei!" Mephisto praised from behind Yukio. He turned around and Mephisto approached him with a blue popsickle in his gloved hand. He was followed by Shura. She seemed pretty annoyed, perhaps at Rin for escaping her. Yukio couldn't believe Mephisto could wear his honorary knight's uniform in this dreadful heat. It was a version of the exorcist uniform except it was shortened to the thighs. He wore elegantly tailored dress pants matching the colour of his suit and a pink and white polka-dotted silk scarf around his collar. There were gold chains that adorned over his chest with the exorcist badge pinned on his upper left breast.

"Mephisto?!" Rin shouted.

"Although it was success in stopping that intruder, I'm afraid all this ruckus was just a diversion," Mephisto said as he bit off a bit of his popsickle. "The _real_ Left Eye is actually stolen."

"Damn it..." Rin cursed to himself, although Yukio was just as disappointed.

"Amitiel reported to me about the lies she detected from Saburota Todo, so I looked into his background and her suspicious were accurate," Shura said as she glimpsed at Amitiel.

"It's safe to say the masked man was a demon summoned by Todo to carry out his plan to steal the Left Eye," Amitiel concluded. "Though I have no clue what his true intentions are."

Mephisto continued, "there's more information we still do not know about. But I received note that an attempt was also made on the Right Eye, as well. Isn't that just _awful_?" Mephisto smirked as he bit into his cold popsickle, clearly he was amused by this. "Archangel Raziel and I are assembling an elite unit for retrieving the Left Eye. I request your participation, Okumura-sensei."

"Me...?" Yukio seemed dazed. As if he wasn't worn out and stressed enough as it is.

"You are the only one who had direct contact with the enemy, so you're knowledge is much valued in this matter. Plus, you're _so talented_!" Mephisto amused.

"...Understood," Yukio complied.

Mephisto winked and added, "meet me at the base in one hour to be filled in on the details." And with that said, Mephisto left.

"Shura, Amitiel—I'm leaving my brother in your care," Yukio said as he also began to walk back to the academy.

"Don't worry, I got this," Shura nodded, and she was a little surprised Rin hasn't protested yet. "Damn, he's only 15 years old and he's already actin' like an adult!"

"Yukio!" Rin shouted at his brother, who looked back. "I swear to god I'm gonna surpass you! Just you watch, Cookies N' Cream!"

Yukio's eyes widened in shock. " _You_? Surpass _me_?"

"Yah, that's right!" Rin shouted back.

"Impossible. Keep your lowsy jokes to yourself, already," Yukio replied.

"What?!"

"As you can clearly see, I'm very busy, so I can't always clean up your messes, Nii-san. But you're free to try!" Yukio said as he waved his hand goodbye and continued walking away.

"You BASTARD—!" Rin raged. "Imma become so friggin' great your jaw drops to the ground!"

Yukio didn't bother looking back. Once Yukio was out of sight, Shura gave Rin a very annoyed stare. She turned to Rin and suddenly head-locked him. Rin screamed and pleaded for her to release him.

"ARGH! Leggo of me!" Rin yelled.

"That's what ya get fer givin' me the slip!" Shura growled. Rin broke free from her grip and ruffled his hair with his hands with a cheeky pout on his face.

* * *

Ryuji and the other students had just finished their latest exorcism class and were currently on a small break. Ryuji used the time to call some of his father's followers in Kyoto. They were like family to Ryuji and they deserved at least some information about his progress in cram school. His parents would refuse to speak to him and he never spoke to them either.

However, no one was picking up, which was very odd.

When Ryuji closed his phone, Konekomaru, who had a cast around his arm from Amaimon breaking it, asked his friend something he probably knew the answer for. "Bon, have you talked to your parents yet about what happened? I'm sure they would be worried about you."

"No," Ryuji automatically responded. "I went against their wills and swore to never come back. It's none of their business now..."

"But still, I've got a bad feeling. I couldn't get ahold of my parents either," Shima added. "You think something's up over in Kyoto?"

"I don't know," was all Ryuji said.

The door to the class opened and Mephisto waltz in with a giddy smile on his face. Amitiel followed soon after. Shiemi and the others felt a little intimidated by her presence ever since her identity had been revealed.

"Hello there, my dear Exwires!" Mephisto waved at them. "Congrats on passing your recent exam!"

"Why's the president here?" Shima whispered beside Ryuji.

"I've got great news for you! As a reward for passing the exam, you have all been granted the right to participate on a real mission... to Kyoto!" Mephisto sung as he pulled his hat off and confetti showered the room and a banner fell out of his hat, which read _'Congrats! Kyoto Field Trip! Yay!'_

"Huh? Kyoto?" Izumo repeated.

"Bon!" Konekomaru spoke, though Ryuji was in too much shock to register him.

A part of Ryuji just blew up.

"The rest of the classes are cancelled today. Please return to your dorms and start packing your things. You will be leaving at 8 o'clock sharp tomorow morning!" Mephisto clapped his hands in excitement. He breathed a sigh and turned his attention to Amitiel beside him. "I'll be directing your attention to Amitiel here. She has some things to say to you. Well then, I'll be going!" Mephisto disappeared in a pink puff of something, leaving the students in Amitiel's care.

They all directed their eyes on Amitiel, who moved to the front of the desk and sat up on it.

"... I know a lot of things have been happening since the Son of Satan has been revealed along with my... true identity," Amitiel spoke, dangling her legs at the end of the desk. "I'm here to explain myself, you deserve at least some information about me."

Ryuji crossed his arms in contempt and leaned back on his chair.

"I think you all know by now that my name is actually Amitiel, the Angel of Truth. I know all of you had no idea angels existed, but we had a reason to not make ourselves known. It was for the sake of your safety and integrity."

"You think just because you're an 'angel' it makes our feelings for you immediately go away?" Ryuji growled. "And don't excuse yourself for abandoning us all these centuries. If you really are meant to help us, why didn't ya stop demons from terrorizing the world, huh? Why didn't ya stop the Blue Night if you think yer so almighty?!"

"Bon!" Konekomaru tugged at Bon's shirt, pleading him to stop. His personal grudges were starting to itch their way out of Ryuji.

"I understand your frustration..." Amitiel shook her head. "Actually, I don't, because I have no way of perceiving emotion like humans do. But let me say that we have helped in a subtle way, it's just the Blue Night was an unexpected tragedy we were powerless to prevent—and I'm sorry for your loss, Ryuji Suguro."

Ryuji was still angry but swallowed down his emotions.

"But let me explain why we've suddenly made an appearance. It's because of the existence of the Son of Satan, Rin Okumura, that I was summoned here. My mission is to eliminate the son of Satan as he is the only being that inherited the Flames of Satan, and I'm sure you all witnessed how dangerous they can be," Amitiel spoke.

Shiemi and the others exchanged uneasy glances at each other. Vivid flashbacks of Rin's terrifying battle with Amaimon played in their heads.

"As you can tell, I failed to kill him," Amitiel looked down. "It's one of my deepest failures as a soldier of the Creator."

"Why didn't you? If Okumura-kun was dangerous, then why didn't you?" Konekomaru asked.

Amitiel stared at him, though she didn't look at all threatening to Konekomaru. He saw doubt in her dark amber eyes. "... I don't know," Amitiel replied, looking away. "But he's on probation now. All I can say for your safety is that he is not your friend. He is not an ally, nor is he to be trusted. The blood of Satan runs in his veins and with that, he can deceive you into thinking otherwise. Perhaps he's deceived me into sparing him..."

"But... Rin hasn't hurt any of us," Shiemi spoke. Her voice was so soft and delicate. "Is he really as dangerous as you say?"

"The enemy masks his true powers under innocence," Amitiel replied. "If the son of Satan becomes a threat to you, summon me with these seals." Amitiel snapped her fingers and a small, circular gold and crystal symbol appeared before each of the students. Shiemi took the object in her hands and observed it. It was crystaline and shiny and the symbol appeared very elegant and angelic.

"Your blood is required to activate the seal to summon me," Amitiel spoke. "If the Son of Satan becomes a threat to you, use these and I will be called forth instantly."

The Exwires all looked at Amitiel for any final words.

"I want you to know I'm the one that is on your side."

Ryuji looked at the gold symbol in his hands and he frowned.

Shiemi observed the symbol with the thought of feeling so divided between Rin and Yukio. So much has changed it felt as if it shattered everyone. She couldn't help but feel alienated from Rin and Yukio, as if they were becoming complete strangers.

It was the worst feeling ever.

* * *

"GRAAAHHHH!" Rin screamed with all his might as he shot flames at the three candles in front of him. They all melted instantly as expected.

"Godammit! It's no use! I've been doing this 30 times and I still can't light up a stupid candle like a normal person!" Rin threw his hands on his face.

" _What a pretty blue!_ " Kuro meowed and pounced on the small flames, exinguishing them. There were several piles of melted wax covering parts of the rooftop of his dorm.

 _Dammit, Yukio! Ya think yer better than me just cuz yer ahead of me, huh? I'll show ya!_ Rin growled. He was sweating abundantly and the heat only amplified it.

"I don't see an _ounce_ of improvement, whatsoever!"

"Shura!" Rin gaped in shock and embarrasment when she poked her head up. "How'd ya find me here!?"

"I heard ya scream like yer constipated! I knew you always came up here to train in secret! I'm glad yer actually trying to improve!" Shura smiled. She proceeded to toss a pamphlet in Rin's face.

"The hell's this?" Rin said as he flipped through the pages of the pampthlet. It was about Kyoto sightseeing for tourists.

"Yer going to Kyoto, so start packing!" Shura demanded.

"Hah?!"

 _"Kyoto? I love Kyoto!_ " Kuro meowed enthusiastically. " _Can I come, Rin?_ "

"Hold on a sec! I thought I was too dangerous to go anywhere!" Rin argued.

"Yer still an Exwire, and Exwires are required to go to Kyoto for a mission. Don't worry! Just don't burn anything and Amitiel won't kill ya!"

"Oh god no, she's not coming, is she?" Rin shuddered.

"Yer stuck with both of us!" Shura winked.

"... Shit."

* * *

Many exorcists that were participating in the mission in Kyoto had gathered at the True Cross train station, where a Shinkansen had been provided as transport. There were some instructors for the Exwires that were coming along. Ryuji estimated around 200 exorcists are coming to Kyoto, and there was a feeling bothering him in the gut that there was something very seriously wrong back home. It was making him even more stressed out as it is. He swore if he was going to stay at his mother's inn, he will just act as if he did not know her.

Everyone boarded the train a quarter before eight. The only people left were Rin, Kuro, and Shura. Rin held a bag over his right shoulder and it was stuffed with his favourite manga, iPod, and video game console he almost forgot to bring. The only thing he carried in his hands was the pamphlet Shura gave (threw) at him. He had never been on such an important trip, let alone a _real_ mission! He was so pumped he had trouble sleeping the day before the trip. Instead, he spent the whole night reading the guidebook, hoping that he would get the oppurtunity to explore Kyoto as much as he can.

As Rin and Shura walked towards the doors of the Shinkansen, Shura's phone vibrated in her breasts, which were nearly exposed safe for a small black and white stripped bikini top with a loose knot in the centre.

"Yello... Who's this?" Shura answered. She couldn't stop yawning and she kept moaning.

"Shura-san? Are you alright?" Yukio responded across the line, noting how groggy she sounded.

"Ugh, it's so friggin' early I feel like pukin'," Shura responded, gagging in disgust.

"Well, you'll need to pull yourself together. You're in charge of reinforcements for the Right Eye," Yukio responded. Shura could hear the sound of the vehicle Yukio was in on the other line.

"I tried to refuse! But that creepy clown is makin' me do this against my own free will!" Shura whined.

"That's because you're very dependable," Yukio said.

"Yeah, right! I feel so sick I swear I'm gonna sleep the whole day! Anyways... How's yer progress in trackin' down the Left Eye?" Shura spoke.

"My partners and I got intel on possible accomplices of Todo's. They're inside a minivan. We're currently tailing them with your familiar's guidance," Yukio reported, though he took a moment to sigh and change the subject. "Don't worry about me. Just focus on keeping an eye on my brother. I have faith in you."

Yukio hung up.

Shura blinked several times before she registered he had hung up and she closed her phone. "Scaredy Four-Eyes is gettin' cocky!" She remarked.

Rin, on his part, was too eager to even worry about Yukio. "I'm so friggin' hyped for this! I missed my field trip in middle school, so this is my first time!" Rin chuckled.

"Don't get yer hopes up. We're not going to have fun!" Shura said as she and Rin climbed on board the train. "We've reserved cars three and four, by the way."

"I can't wait to see everyone! I hope they're already here!" Rin said.

Shura and Rin stood at the front of the car. Upon Rin's presence, almost all the exorcists began whispering at each other. It was obvious they were speaking about Rin, though what made Rin uncomfortable was a lot of them were giving him dirty looks while some avoided eye contact.

"Where should I sit?" Rin asked Shura. "Maybe in the back?"

"Read the atmosphere, kid. Go sit up front," Shura chuckled.

Rin plopped down on the seat in the front row. He looked around his surroundings. The Shinkansen's interior reminded him of an airplane. It was sleek and professional and so modern Rin felt he had been transported to the future.

"I'm gonna go check up on car three, so sit here an' be good!" Shura said and she went next door to the car ahead of them. While she left, Rin took out his Kyoto tourist guide and flipped anxiously through the glossy pages. He scanned through the images, not even bothering reading the paragraphs. Rin observed the delicious food advertised on the pages, and he was trying to prevent himself from drooling over the pictures. He flipped further into the book and came across a tower on top of a building. It was on top of Kyoto's train station. It was a long, tall spike with a disk near the top of the building. It was said to have a wonderful sightseeing platform all around it and restaurants and shops.

 _Kyoto tower? That looks so cool! I gotta see that!_ Rin remarked, admiring the structure in the clear pictures.

Meanwhile, Shiemi had been standing at the junction between the two cars. Her heart had been palpating at the mere sight of Rin, unaware of her presence.

"R-Rin..." Shiemi mumbled nervously. She clutched at her chest, wondering why her heart was beating so hard. _What's wrong with me? I can't even speak to him..._

Shura noted her presence. "Uh-oh. Moriyama, did you get vaccinated?" Shura asked.

"Oh, vaccinated?" Shiemi turned around and looked at Shura.

"Our destination may be infested by fungal demons, so we're required to be vaccinated against potential viruses the demons may inflict," Shura explained. "Vaccinations are in car three." Shura pointed at the car behind her.

"Oh, okay!" Shiemi nodded, though before she could make her way to the car, Rin noticed her presence.

"Shiemi!"

Shiemi's body jumped at the sound of his voice and whipped her head back at him.

"Good morning!" Rin smiled warmly, though Shiemi didn't return the smile as expected. He noticed her light blonde bangs were pinned to the side with a small barette. She carried some bags with colourful floral patterns.

"U-Um..." Shiemi hesitated. She didn't understand how she should react after what Amitiel specifically told her to do. Shiemi escaped into the next car yelling, "g-good morning...!"

Rin gaped at her odd behaviour. "W-What the hell...?!" Rin made a confused face. He slumped back in his seat and puffed out his cheeks. It was pretty obvious she was uncomfortable around him. He focused back on the pamphlet in an attempt to ignore everything, though he was interrupted when he felt someone beside him.

He turned his attention beside him and Amitiel sat in the seat close to the window.

"H-Hana?!" Rin gasped. He noticed Amitiel had changed in appearance as well. She was wearing an elegant white uniform. It stopped below her thighs and feathered out like a small dress. It looked like the Paladin's uniform based on colour and the gold braids adorning her chest and shoulders. It resembled the exorcist uniform in a way. She still wore the pink skirt underneath and white nylons.

"It's _Amitiel_ ," she growled. She was really becoming fed up of Rin forgetting her name.

"Why are you sitting beside me? Aren't I dangerous?" Rin asked, perplexed.

Amitiel frowned at him. "You are, that's why I must be near you at all times in case I have to eliminate you."

"I know you won't be able to kill me..." Rin looked down at the pamphlet in his hands, though Rin wasn't reading it.

"You're wrong," Amitiel replied automatically.

"But you know I'm telling the truth," Rin looked at her without moving his head.

Amitiel could only remain silent and looked away, crossing her arms and legs.

"By the way, you're not gonna watch me sleep or go to the can, are you?" Rin asked, a little nervous and uncomfortable at what she might say. "I need some privacy, 'kay?"

Before Amitiel could say anything, there were gasps coming from the front. Rin looked up to find Suguro, Shima, and Konekomaru standing immobile. Their gazes were on him.

"Hey, guys! You're all okay!" Rin smiled.

Suguro just looked at him, unsure of how to respond.

"You're from Kyoto, right? What else is cool there?" Rin asked warmly.

Suguro began to frown and grit his teeth. Anger brewed within him, provoking him to clench his fists.

"Bon..." Konekomaru noticed he was becoming agitated. "...Don't!"

Suguro swallowed down his feelings and walked past Rin. "... I know that!"

Rin stood speechless as the trio briskly walked by. Rin called Konekomaru but he ignored Rin and raced past him. It was obvious he was startled the most out of anyone in this train.

"Whoa, don't be so _obvious_ , Koneko..." Shima whispered.

"H-How can he just sit there?!" Konekomaru whispered tentatively. "What if he loses control again?!

"The higher-ups said it was okay," Shima answered, though it wasn't comforting Konekomaru. "If he does, Amitiel-sama will take care of that." Shima gestured his finger slicing across his throat. "Just don't talk to him or anything."

"Shima-san, you're so calm about this..." Konekomaru whispered.

Rin wobbled into his seat, slumping into it. He was starting to feel sick as much as Shura.

 _They're acting like I'm a monster!... but I guess they're right... I suppose it's a normal reaction..._ Rin looked down at his hands and bowed his head down. The amount of pain he was feeling was similar to being shot in the heart, though he was doing very well hiding it.

Izumo was last to enter the car. She noted that Rin was sitting beside Amitiel and the Kyoto trio sat behind him. Shiemi was sitting on the other side in the same row as the trio. Shima called for her to sit beside him, though she just huffed and collapsed on the seat beside Rin. He jerked a little and stared at her. Amitiel was keeping a close eye on Rin.

"What?" Izumo blurted, noticing his confused stare.

"Oh, uh... nothing," Rin looked away.

The intercom announced the train was departing. After that, the train budged forward and slowly accelerated until it was zipping through the city and eventually left it.

Everyone went silent when Shura walked up to the front of the car and threw her hands on her hips, yelling, "A'ight, listen up, chumps! I'm the unlucky soul who got _forced_ into leading this op. The name's Shura Kirigakure, senior exorcist first class!"

Shura gestured at a particular exorcist in front of her and added, "I'm gonna let Sato-kun, from the intel management, brief us on the details."

The man named Sato suddenly heard his name and stood up on instinct. "Huh?! Y-Yes!" He cleared his throat and said, "around 13:20 on July 22, an unknown individual managed to bypass security at the Deep Keep and stole the Left Eye of the Impure King, an extremely hazardous demonic item. The former warden of the Deep Keep, senior second class exorcist Saburota Todo, was involved. Though his plans remain unknown along with any potential accomplices—"

"Good enough!" Shura cut him off. "At the same time, an attempt was also made on the Right Eye at the Kyoto field office. Their plan failed, but the intruders were also after the Right Eye of the Impure King!"

"Um, excuse me Kirigakure-sensei! We never learned about this in class!" Izumo raised her hand up. All the exwires were clearly confused and Izumo was the only one who felt the need to ask for clarification.

"Oh, this demon ain't well known and the story is pretty gruesome," Shura answered, though she directed her attention to another exorcist. "I'll let Adachi-kun, your history of demonology instructor, explain that!"

"O-Oh? Okay..." The teacher named Adachi stood up. His face was a little pale. "The Impure King is a high-level demon that spread illness and caused epidemics, resulting in the death of over 40 000 people. It is said that a monk named Fukaku expelled the demon, and plucked its eyes out as proof of the exorcism."

"The hell?" Rin remarked. "Why'd he do that? To brag?"

"We still have no idea what the enemy's goal is, but one thing's for sure: it ain't good. They may attack the Kyoto field office again, so we will serve as extra protection! Our mission is to care for wounded civilians and exorcists and reinforce security. So let's work super-duper hard together so I don't have to!" Shura raised her fist up, then quickly plopped on the seat beside her and added, "now if you'll excuse me..."

A few minutes later, Shura fell asleep.

* * *

Everyone remaind quiet during the ride to Kyoto. Konekomaru was the only one out of everyone who was extremely uncomfortable around Rin Okumura. On Rin's part, he was too confused on the fact Izumo chose to sit beside him. Amitiel sat beside him because she had to, but for Izumo she chose to choose that empty seat beside his. Rin flicked his gaze back and forth from Izumo to the ground, unable to digest what she did.

"Aren't ya scared of me?" Rin suddenly blurted out loud at Izumo.

Izumo huffed with a easy smile. "Ha! Of you? Not at all." She crossed her arms and legs and directed her crimson eyes to Rin. "You may not know, but there are plenty of people with demon blood, and the majority are exorcists," she said matter-of-factly.

"R-Really?!" Rin was shocked.

"It's common knowledge," Izumo added. "But the problem is that you're directly related to Satan. The Order hasn't killed you because they don't know if you're a boon or a bane yet. That's what this is all about."

Izumo snorted and raised her voice, emphasizing on some words. "Unlike all of you, I'm not the type that will frigging _flip out_ like an _idiot_ over _every_ little _thing_!"

The Kyoto trio and Amitiel could clearly sense she was refering to them. They could only stay silent in guilt.

"Chunky-Brows..." Rin spoke. Izumo wrinkled her forehead and spun at him.

"Chunky-Brows?!"

"Are you actually being _nice_ to me?" Rin's aura shone with hope and happiness. "I knew you were a good person!"

"Huh?!... Just wait a second! How the hell did you reach that conclusion?!" Izumo backtracked. "And where the hell did you get that name from?!" Izumo touch her eyebrows. "I have a real name y'know! It's _Izumo Kamiki_!"

Rin only smiled warmly. "Thanks, Izumo."

Izumo stopped and showed confusion on her face. "Stop addressing me so informally!" She shouted. Meanwhile, Shura screamed at them to shut up midway to sleep.

"I really hate cowards that go on about defeating Satan, making friends, and being truthful and accepting towards others... but then chicken out when it counts! That pisses me off!" Izumo raged.

"I'm friggin' sick of your bullshit! Who the hell do ya think ya are for callin' me a coward!?" Ryuji finally opened up and stood up, towering over Izumo—though she was unfazed by his presence.

"Oh gee, you gonna spank me again?" Izumo spat arrogantly.

"YOU _BITCH_!"

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Shura screamed and stomped to the Exwires half-asleep. "I'M TRYIN' TO FRIGGIN' SLEEP AND YA CAN'T EVEN SHUT UP!"

The Exwires felt they had enraged an ancient demon from its slumber.

Shura ordered (very angrily) at the exorcists to move to the car ahead of them. Once the car was emptied. She fetched for a trunk in the back and arranged each of the Exwires in the runway. She dropped Bariyons in each of the Exwires' laps and removed the seals off the demons.

"Are ya proud now, huh?! I have the honour of sentencin' ya to the Bariyon punishment... AGAIN." Shura growled and placed her hands firmly on her hips. "I told ya knuckleheads to work together! I hope ya cool yer flamin' heads off until we get to Kyoto!"

Shura walked away, but before she could leave, she gave a quick but ghastly stink eye at the students, who were too petrified to even breathe.

"Got it?! _DON'T_ WAKE ME UP!" Shura raged. She paused for a breather and directed her attention to Amitiel. "Keep a close eye on them, will ya?"

Amitiel nodded and frowned at the students, mostly at Izumo and Ryuji.

Shura slammed the door closed, leaving the students at the mercy of Amitiel.

Everything went quiet.

"This feels like deja vu..." Rin remarked, struggling to maintain his legs from numbing. Everyone's Bariyons were slowly becoming heavier.

"It was also Bon and Izumo-chan's fault, too! You guys haven't progressed at all!" Shima smiled through the pain on his laps.

Izumo and Ryuji immediately responded.

"Shut the hell up!"

"W-Why did Kirigakure-sensei have to leave us with Okumura?" Konekomaru suddenly blurted out loud, forcing everyone to look at him sadly, though Rin was hurt deep down inside. "If he flares up again, we're all in danger!"

"Well, if anything does happen, Amitiel-sama will kill him!" Shima smiled nervously.

"Yah, I got the memo when she almost did," Rin pouted and puffed out his cheeks. Amitiel only frowned at him.

"Huh?" Konekomaru looked down at the rock in his laps. It groaned and managed to surprise Koneko and the others by jumping off his laps and threw itself towards Shiemi. Shiemi screamed in horror and Rin was close to stepping in but the Bariyon was sliced into many pieces before it could land on Shiemi. The pieces of rock fell around Shiemi and she looked in bewilderment. The Exwires looked at Amitiel. She held on to her long, silver sword, Caliel.

"Amitiel-sama!" Ryuji shouted.

"That was an older Bariyon. Some are able to move if they've lived long enough," Amitiel explained. She chanted something in Latin and her sword separated into her dual silver blades. "You're all lucky I am here. If I wasn't, Moriyama would have gotten crushed by it."

"Gee, thanks," Ryuji replied scornfully.

Everyone went silent when Izumo, Rin, and Shima's stones groaned and jumped off them. They all aimed at Amitiel and they managed to hit her in the head, causing her to bleed profusely.

"Hana!" Rin yelled and charged at her, while the Bariyons all weighed down on her and managed to pin her to the ground.

"Stay away from me!" Amitiel shouted back at Rin, forcing him to take a step back.

"But—!"

"Amitiel-sama!" Ryuji yelled. He turned to Shima and said, "you take the left side and I'll take the right. We'll try to lift them off!"

Ryuji and Shima grabbed the Bariyon on Amitiel's back and tried to lift it up, but the more they did, the heavier it got.

"Goddammit, I can't! I'll break my back!" Shima screamed. The two gave up and regained their energy.

"I'll go get Kirigakure-sensei!" Konekomaru said, but Ryuji stopped him.

"She said not to wake her up, and I think we'd be worse than dead if we did," Ryuji said.

"If I remember correctly, I think the only way is to burn or break Bariyons," Shima said as he readied his golden staff. "Hang in there, Amitiel-sama!" Shima drove his staff into the rock but it didn't leave a scratch behind. He tried again multiple times but also gave up.

"It's too hard!" Shima yelled.

"Why don't you just teleport off them?" Ryuji asked.

"I can't if something's weighing me down!" Amitiel shouted.

Rin finally stepped forward, confidence glowed in his cheeky smile. "Leave it to me!" Rin said.

He approached Amitiel and she immediately shouted at him to stay back.

"Don't touch me, son of Satan!" Amitiel tried to wriggle herself free but she was as stuck as a fly on a cobweb.

"Just let me save you for once, goddammit!" Rin said as he bent over and held the rock on Amitiel. He began to pull up but no matter how much he lifted, the Bariyon became heavier. Rin strained himself and pulled with all his might while making noises as if he were constipated.

"What the hell—!" Rin yelled. _It gets heavier the more I lift!_ Rin thought.

 _Only one thing left to do!_

Rin suddenly burst into flames. They ravaged everything around him, including Amitiel. The exwires all screamed in horror as they watched Amitiel being consumed by the flames. Amitiel screamed and shut her eyes, but when she opened them, she noticed she wasn't burning at all. In fact, she was still alive.

 _What? What's happening?_ Amitiel thought. She saw herself covered in the same blue flames that killed millions of her fellow brothers and sisters, and for some reason they were sparing her.

 _It's... not even hurting me..._ Amitiel thought in absolute bewilderment. _It just feels..._ warm.

 _So why...?_

"Stop it!" Ryuji shouted and grabbed Rin by the shirt. Rin almost lost his balance and recoiled away from him. At the same time, the Bariyons were repelled by the blue flames and leaped off Amitiel and escaped.

"He's burning the seats!" Shima shouted, plugging his nose and attempting to fan away the smoke.

"Shit! We gotta call the exorcists!" Suguro shouted and made his way to the car next door.

"Wait!" Shiemi protested and rushed to Amitiel's aid. Although Amitiel was unhearmed, the look on her face showed shock. "Don't overreact! Rin hasn't lost control! Amitiel-sama is okay!" Shiemi nudged Amitiel and managed to snap her out of her trance.

"Well the seats aren't!" Suguro shouted.

"Relax, we can put the flames out with holy water," Izumo chipped in. She reached into her pocket on her shirt and pulled out a summoning paper. She bit her finger and smeared the blood on the paper, summoning her familiars, "Ukemochi, come to my aid!"

Uke emerged from the white mist from the paper and looked back at Izumo with a sense of annoyance. " _Only me today? What do you want?_ " He said.

"Give me some sacred sake to put out that fire!" Izumo pointed at the burning seats.

" _Hmph, what am I, your slave, human?_ " Uke snorted.

Izumo brought her hands together and chanted, " _take the arashine into your hands and cleanse it, take the nigoshine in your hands and purify it... to make eight servings of sacred wine, at the sound of eight tranquil claps..._ " Izumo chanted as she clapped eight times. Uke transformed into an ethereal white bowl, and Izumo added, " _... grant my plea!_ "

The bowl dipped over the flames and sparkling red sacred wine poured all over the seats, extinguishing the flames instantly.

"The seats are ashes...!" Konekomaru spoke, petrified at how quickly the damage was done. "... And the Bariyon is gone! Where did it go?"

"We'll have to get the exorcists," Suguro spoke and stepped forward to the next car. Before he could, Rin grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. "Why'd ya screw me up?! I had everything under control!" Rin raged, and Ryuji frowned derisively at him. "Have some faith in me, will ya?!"

"Faith...?" Ryuji grit his teeth, has anger was forcing its way out of him. "Why the hell would I?!" He shouted.

"Bon!" Konekomaru called out.

"Sixteen years ago... followers of my temple died because of those flames," Ryuji growled, and Rin loosened his grip on Ryuji's collar after he remembered.

 _The Blue Night...!_

"Those flames kill people! Like my grandfather, Shima's grandfather and older brother, Konekomaru's father, and fifty-eight loyal followers!" Ryuji exclaimed. Rin had never seen this much hatred in Ryuji's eyes.

"... What?!" Rin was shocked speechless.

Amitiel looked at her hand and it wasn't even charred from the flames. "...Did it hurt—?" Amitiel suddenly added, still fazed by what she had experienced.

"OH MY GOD! WOULD YOU JUST _SHUT UP_?!" Konekomaru suddenly screamed, tears were in his eyes. Everyone got startled by his sudden flare-up.

"My temple's followers are like family to me! How dare ya say to have faith after everything they've been through!" Ryuji shouted back.

"... I'm sorry for everything that happened..." Rin whispered through clenched teeth. "But why are ya getting mad at me?! I've got nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. You're gonna defeat Satan," Ryuji mocked him with a grimace. "Am I right?"

"Yah, that's right, so don't lump me in with him!" Rin growled, and blue flames began to flicker all over him.

"STOP IT!" Konekomaru grasped Rin by his sleeve and tugged at him with his broken arm, deperately pleading, "Get away from Bon!"

Rin noticed how much Koneko was trembling and held on to him despite the pain he was feeling from his broken arm. "You too, Bon! If we really are family... then please don't do this!" Konekomaru added desperately.

Rin was about to say something but found himself at the tip of Amitiel's sword. Rin gasped and didn't dare move and he released Ryuji.

"H-Hana...!" Rin pleaded, "I swear I wasn't trying to hurt anybody!"

Amitiel grit her teeth and the tip of her sword touched Rin's throat. Her hand trembled and the oportunity to kill him was at hand, yet she only closed her eyes and retreated reluctantly. She lowered her sword and spat, "don't you dare do that again, you hear me, son of Satan?"

Rin swallowed down his anger and backed down. He looked away from everybody, and didn't dare to look back.

Meanwhile, Shima noticed a ball rolling closer to Rin and Suguro from the storage compartment, and realized it was the Bariyon. "Bon! Above you!" Shima shouted as the rock flung itself straight at Ryuji. Before it could hit him, Shura appeared and slashed the rock to bits and pieces.

"Seriously... can't you kids even handle small fry like that?!" Shura shouted, grasping her sword over her shoulder. "You gonna trip each other up in a real battle, too?! Do that, and you're _dead_!"

Everyone felt guilty. At the same time, the train was beginning to slow down as the intercom announced they had arrived in Kyoto.

* * *

 **A/N: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

 **AMITIEL-SAMA**

 **...**

 **THAT SOUNDS SO WEIRD LOL**

 **I feel like this chap is so rushed but idk how to fix that lmao**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR PATIENCE SERIOUSLY! Here's the full chapter after like 2 months or something!**


	3. Chapter 2: Shattered Souls

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (** **青の祓魔師（エクソシスト** **)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

 **When Rin boarded off the Shinkansen, the first thing he saw was the Kyoto tower.** It seemed so much taller than in the tourist book, which only made Rin even more excited than he already was. Nearby people glanced at the group of exorcists emerging from the station and commented on the uniforms.

"Rin! It's that tower!" Kuro exclaimed in awe at the structure. The tower loomed across the busy highway, standing tall and impressive. The sunlight shone off the windowed upper floor which only added to its charm.

"Wow! It's so much cooler in real life!" Rin smiled eagerly. He couldn't help but wag his tail. "We should go see it sometime, right, guys?" Rin said but found him talking only to himself. "Huh?" Rin looked ahead and everyone else was already at the bus station.

"Hey! Wait up!" Rin jogged after his group and stumbled upon a young man holding a sign identifying his group.

"Oh! You must be the Tokyo branch!" The man said. "I'm Doi, messenger from the Kyoto field office." He wore a traditional monk uniform, though there were some alterations to identify the bearer as a member of the Knights of the True Cross.

"I'm team leader Shura Kirigakure," Shura introduced herself and Doi bowed to her.

"Welcome to Kyoto," Doi said. "I've prepared a bus. We will depart to the inn you and your squad will be staying in."

"Thank you," Shura said and the exorcists boarded the bus.

Before Rin could step in, he glanced one last time at the Kyoto tower. His smiled died out and he only looked at it in sadness. Perhaps it was one of the things he won't be able to do. No one would want to go with him anyways.

Rin swallowed down his disappointement and boarded the bus.

When the bus moved through the city towards the destination, not one word was spoken between the Exwires. It was as if they were only complete strangers, and Rin hated that. It was awkward for Amitiel to be sitting beside him without recieving a suspicious glance every thirty seconds. Thankfully, Amitiel's blades weren't hanging on her thighs anymore, which meant he wouldn't have to feel uneasy being so near the weapons that will kill him if Amitiel says so. Apparently the angel can summon them out of thin air. If she were to do that when her identity was secret, it would look quite suspicious, much like how unatural it would look if Rin drew his sword and was engulfed in blue flames.

Ryuji avoided any eye contact by staring out the window, observing the familiar scenery of the streets and shops. He reminisced on his childhood memories. Konekomaru kept his mind busy by reading a Kyoto tourist guide, even though he was already familiar with the popular spots it was highlighting.

Shiemi only remained stiff by the shoulders as she only looked at the backseat in front of her. She couldn't help but think about much her relationship with Rin had changed.

Amitiel was silent as well. She crossed her arms, but couldn't stop thinking about how Rin spared her. She kept inspecting her hands for any damage but there was none. A part of her wanted to see something to give her a reason to do her job. She kept supressing it though.

"Rin, look at that!" Kuro pointed at something, though Rin was too depressed to respond—or even look.

"Ugh... the atmosphere here is so heavy..." Shima moaned and covered his face.

After several minutes, the bus came to a stop in front of a traditional inn. Doi announced the arrival and the exorcists boarded off. When Ryuji glanced at the building, he didn't need to look at the sign to recognize it.

"You've got to be _shitting_ me..." Ryuji cursed to himself, but reluctantly stepped out of the bus as well.

* * *

 **不潔な火—Impure Fire**

 ** _Chapter 2: Shattered Souls_**

* * *

A middle-aged lady greeted the exorcists at the entrance. She wore an elegant pink and lavender kimono.

"The reinforcements from the Tokyo branch have arrived," Doi said and the lady bowed to Shura.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice!" The lady said. "I am the _okami_ of _Toraya._ This inn is reserved for you for the duration of your stay. Please make yourselves at home."

"This way please," an employee directed the exorcists towards their rooms. When Ryuji stepped into the inn, the employees immediately recognized him. "Bon!" One of them shouted.

"Guys! It's Bon, he came back!" Another shouted for the others, which drew the okami's attention.

"Hey, shut up or she'll—!"

"RYUJI!"

Ryuji shut himself up and looked at the okami, who had emerged from another room, and groaned.

"Ryuji!" The okami walked up to him. "You..." She reached out for him, but instead of a motherly touch, she grabbed him by the hair and yelled, "you actually went and dyed your fricking hair! You trying to be a chicken when you grow up?!"

"OW! Let go of me!" Ryuji shouted and she threw him at the floor. "It represents my sincere dedication!"

"Dedication, my ass! You said you'd never come back here, yet here you are looking like some thug! I'll never forgive you!" The okami raged.

"Hey! It ain't my fault! The Order just happened to book us here, there's nothing I could do!" Ryuji protested.

Amidst the reunion of mother and son, Shima was struggling on holding back a hysterical laughter. "Heh heh! I knew she'd comment on his hair!"

"Um, what?" Izumo spoke finally, completely confused at what was going on.

"Hi, ma'am, it's me, konekomaru," Koneko approached her, a little shy.

"Long time no see, ma'am!" Shima added.

"Neko! Renzo!" The okami said, a bright smile on her face. "I'm so glad you're all okay! I admire your courage! Babysitting Ryuji must have been so difficult!"

"Hey, knock it off!" Ryuji shouted.

The okami noticed the presence of the other students. She blushed in embarassment and said, "oh my! Where are my manners? You all must be the other students!" She bowed at the students with a warm, welcoming smile. "It's an honour to meet you all! My name is Torako, I'm Ryuji's mother!"

"His mom?! _You're_ Suguro's mom?!" Rin exclaimed, commenting on how pretty she was. He threw away the expected image of Suguro's mother as a hard-headed and strict parent.

"Bon this and Bon that, maybe I should start calling you Bonbon..." Izumo supressed herself from laughing.

"Shut up, Kamiki!" Ryuji shouted back.

"Okami," Shura called after emerging from a nearby room. "Thank you so much for your hospitality!" Shura said and handed Torako a gift.

"It's my pleasure! I'm grateful for the Order's patronage!" Torako said and gladly accepted the gift.

"I just met with the Director, so I'll be heading over to the field office shortly," Shura said. "I'll leave a handful of doctors and a few students here to treat the infected."

"Thank you very much..." Torako said and whispered to Shura. "Is it possible you—"

"Oh!" Shura caught on to Torako's message. "Shima, Miwa, Suguro! It's been a while since you three visited home, so I'll give you the chance to see your families!"

"Oh... Okay," Konekomaru responded.

"The rest of you will be supervised by Amitiel-sama and Yunokawa-sensei 'ere. Your jobs are to assist the doctors with treatments and all that stuff—I know we just got here, but don't slack off!"

"Okay!" Everyone said.

"I'm leaving Rin in your care, Amitiel!" Shura winked at Amitiel, though she didn't smile back or anything, and proceeded with a small group of exorcists down the hall. "Think of this as a test, Rin!" Shura added.

"Huh?! That's it?!" Rin exclaimed, a little shocked at how much freedom Shura had given him. Actually, he still wasn't free with Amitiel breathing down his neck.

"I'll lead you to the Director," Torako said and gestured Ryuji, Renzo, and Konekomaru to follow her. "I've isolated him in another room because of his condition," She added.

The trio followed Ryuji's mother down another hallway, leaving the rest to Yunokawa and Amitiel's care.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the injured," an employee said and lead the group.

When Rin and the others stumbled into a room, the amount of ill victims shocked everyone. There were abundant episodes of coughing, gagging, and wheezing. There were already exorcists with doctor credentials and some volunteer nurses and care givers on the floor.

"So many injured..." Izumo whispered.

"This is where those with relatively mild Temptaint are held," the employee said.

"Thank you. All right, students. Be on standby in case an order is needed," Yunokawa said, "You'll start by distributing the medicinal tea and notify us when IV bags run low. Keep an eye out if any symptoms worsen in some patients and notify us immediately. Got it?"

The students nodded and responded in understanding.

Shiemi pulled out an elastic and bunched up her hair in a small side pony. _I'm always... getting in the way and causing trouble. Time to regain my honour!_

As the exwires were busy handling medicinal tea, Amitiel turned to the teacher. "I will set up demon repelling barriers around the inn. I can sense holes in the current seals around the field office, and this will stop the miasma from spreading or entering any areas deemed vulnerable," Amitiel said.

"Whatever works for you, Archangel Amitiel," Yunokawa bowed to her and the two immediately went to work. "I feel quite safe knowing you're around."

"I'll do everything in my power to protect you all," Amitiel responded. Rin looked at her in envy at how much respect she was recieving because of her status.

It infuriated him, but at the same time, Rin felt deeply hurt by the obvious prejudice he was getting because of his status as the son of Satan. No one trusted him to the point Shura placed this uncomfortable ring around his tail. He had no idea what it does and he didn't want to know. Maybe it's a way to kill him.

"I guess I'll go help or something," Rin said and walked away, but Amitiel grabbed him by the collar and led him with her.

"You'll be staying with me. I don't want to let you out of my sight, son of Satan," Amitiel frowned.

"Quite callin' me that!" Rin protested and broke himself free from her grip. "What a great way to alienate myself, y'know!"

"But it's who you are," Amitiel responded curtly. "Now stick with me and don't do anything. If you disobey me—"

" _Hey! Stop talking to Rin like that!_ " Kuro meowed from on top of Rin's head, anger showed in his vivid green eyes.

Amitiel didn't even have to threaten Rin and Kuro by showing her blade. Rin succumbed and nodded nervously. "O-Okay, H-Hana—A-Amitiel-sama, I mean."

Rin followed Amitiel around. She was inspecting the walls and flooring for places to mark the seals. She did some weird meditative states. Apparently, she was just sensing for any breaks in the barrier around the inn and field office. Rin made the analogy that it was similar to how cell-phone reception works. Some areas had strong reception, some didn't. Rin had no idea how Amitiel could do that. It was such a spritual concept he was too dumb to understand.

He was so fascinated by angels and their abilities, but at the same time—it terrified him.

"I'll set up a barrier right here," Amitiel looked at a particular spot on the wall. "Go fetch me some barrier chalk."

"Got it!" Rin said and began asking the exorcists around as he had no idea where to find chalk.

"Excuse me, Yunokawa-sensei," Rin tapped the exorcist's shoulder and he jolted. "Have you seen some chalk anywhere?"

"Why do you need that? Go ask Kinoshita-sensei," Yunokawa simply said, then breathed a sigh of relief when Rin walked away and approached another exorcist.

"Um, Kinoshita-sensei, have you seen chalk anywhere?" Rin asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, I-I don't know! Ask Yamagami-sensei..." Kinoshita stuttered.

Rin huffed and approached Yamagami, but before he could finish asking, the exorcist immediately replied loudly, "go ask Kawanaka-sensei if you're looking for something!"

"Kawanaka-sensei—"

"Go ask Kinoshita-sensei."

Rin felt stumped, as if had just gone back to square one. _Dammit, no one seems to know where to find some stupid chalk!_

 _"_ Psst!"

Rin heard a whisper and turned around to find someone gesturing for Rin to come outside for a hand. "Can ya help me out here, please?" A older male voice sounded.

"Sure, sure, I'll help!" Rin exclaimed but immediately shut himself up and looked back at Amitiel. She was busy inspecting the building. Rin tip-toed quietly to the source of the voice and slipped outside.

"Wow! Watermelons! They look so yummy!" Rin exclaimed when he saw two large melons sitting in a large wooden bowl of fresh, running water from a fountain.

"If you want, you can cut them up and distribute them to the ill! Help yourself too!" The older man said.

Rin exclaimed, eager from the offer. "You bet I will!" The older man noticed Rin's tail as it was wagging all over the place. He was wondering why he had one to start, it certainly wasn't from the cat perched on his shoulder. Rin examined the man as he sat at the end of the porch. He noticed the man had a short, plump stature and was bald with slight stubble on his chin and two dots of a mustache. He wore a more formal traditional monk's attire.

Another thing Rin noticed was the concentrated stench of alcohol this man was emitting.

"Huh? Have you been drinking? Aren't you a monk?" Rin asked bluntly as he lifted a watermelon out of the basin and onto the porch. There was a cutting board and some wooden platforms to display the sliced melon.

"Oops, you noticed? It's because of the heat!" The priest laughed. Rin also noticed one of his teeth was missing.

"Man, you remind me of my old man! He always snuck a drink on the job, even though he was an exorcist!" Rin said as he cut up the watermelon.

"Haha! I think I'd get along quite well with him!" The priest remarked with another drunken laugh. "So I guess you must be one of the reinforcements from the Japan headquarters. Judging by the uniform, you're a student at the cram school, right?"

"That's right," Rin smiled.

"What's your name, sonny?" The priest asked.

"My name?" Rin said. "Rin Okumura."

The priest thought he had heard that name from someone, and he immediately recognized it. "Oh! You must be—!" The monk exclaimed though he couldn't finish his sentence.

"... And you are...?" Rin asked, confused at the priest's reaction.

"Oh! I'm Tatsuma Suguro, Ryuji's father!" The priest responded with a toothy smile.

"What?! Seriously?!" Rin exploded in surprise. His image of Suguro's father being a bulky, muscular wrestler or something flew over his head.

"Surprised? We look alike, don't we?" Tatsuma laughed.

"Really? Suguro's cooler," Rin responded bluntly.

"Oh..." Tatsuma said. "I assume you and Ryuji are getting along?"

Rin paused for a moment, recollecting his recent dispute with Suguro. "... We've been fighting." Rin grumbled.

"Oh!" Tatsuma exclaimed. "You too, huh? I'm also fighting with him!" He laughed.

"Seriously?" Rin was shocked. "He's... difficult to deal with."

"Haha! You got that right!"

"... But he's a good guy. So I wanna make up with him," Rin spoke as he cut up the watermelon in slices.

Tatsuma smiled. "Yah, so do I, sonny."

Rin smiled back and stood up after cutting up the melons. "Alright, it's all done!" Rin huffed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Rin? What are you _doing_?"

Rin's whole body froze and his tail straightened out like a startled deer. _Oh shit—!_

"H-Hana! I was just trying to help, y'see?!" Rin waved his hands and tail all over the place, desperately trying to save his skin. "I haven't hurt anybody! S-So you can put away your s-sword!" Rin exclaimed maniacally with a shaky smile.

Amitiel grasped Caliel and approached him. Each step she took made Rin's heart skip a beat. Rin screeched and ran behind Tatsuma.

"Help! She's gonna kill me!" Rin cried.

Tatsuma looked back at Rin, who was huddled behind him. He only laughed and added, "uh oh, I think you pissed of your girlfriend, sonny!"

Rin's face went between white to red and Amitiel stood in absolute shock, almost dropping her sword.

"HUH?!" Rin yelled. "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Rin protested desperately for his life. He blushed so intensively he looked like a bright red tomato. He was also sweating profusely which only made him feel even more embarrassed.

"Why would you dare associate me with him?!" Amitiel growled, almost revealing her glowing amber eyes from under her long, wavy bangs.

"... I assume you two are just friends, then?" Tatsuma smiled in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. He looked at Amitiel with a calm expression and grinned warmly. "You sure are lucky to have a good friend like Rin, miss. He seems like a good guy for you."

Amitiel had no words to say, and Rin swore he saw the slightest blush form on her cheeks. Amitiel suppressed herself and lowered her sword.

"... Let's go, Rin," Amitiel spoke more calmly and Rin reluctantly followed her, holding the two wooden boards loaded with sliced watermelon. His blushing was not going away.

"Well, I better get going! You go ahead and distribute those, okay?" Tatsuma said as he stood up and made his way up the roof of an adjacent building.

"Hey! You're not coming?!" Rin exclaimed.

"I'm glad we met, Rin-kun!" Tatsuma waved. "We'll see each other soon!"

Before Rin could respond, Tatsuma hopped off the roof and disappeared behind the building.

* * *

"Moriyama-san, over here!" An exorcist called and Shiemi immediately registered. "Get some more tea!"

"Y-Yes!" Shiemi said and grabbed a newly prepared pot of tea. She walked over to the exorcist and set the tea down. She poured another cup and proceeded to the next patient. Amitiel was beside the patient and waited for another cup of tea to serve to the ill woman.

"A-Amitiel-sama!" Shiemi said as she poured another cup. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably to the point some tea would spill out of the cup. "H-Here—"

Shiemi accidentally spilled the tea all over the floor. Amitiel only looked unfazed at her. Shiemi shrieked and bowed her head to the ground, hiding her beet-red face. "A-A-Amitiel-sama! I'm s-so sorry!"

"Don't be so harsh on yourself, Moriyama-san," Amitiel said as she grabbed a dry towel and helped Shiemi clean up the spill. Shiemi couldn't stop apologizing to the point she was about to have a panic attack. Amitiel noticed she was in distress and placed her hand on Shiemi's tense shoulder. "You're doing just fine."

Shiemi stopped and stared at Amitiel. Her emerald green eyes shone with hope. "R-Really..?" Shiemi whispered. "A-Am I really..?"

Amitiel saw some tears escaping Shiemi's eyes and she wiped them off with her thumb. "It's okay to make mistakes. Why don't you try to help Kamiki-san? I'm sure she would appreciate your help."

Shiemi looked back at Izumo, who was busy helping an ill young monk sip some tea. She comforted him and positioned him enough so that he can comfortably drink the tea.

 _Kamiki-san is so amazing..._ Shiemi's eyes gleamed.

"Okay! I'll help!" Shiemi smiled confidently again and picked up the pot of tea and walked over to Izumo.

"Kamiki-san! I—!" Shiemi shrieked and tripped, spilling all of the tea onto Izumo. Izumo screamed as the kettle hit her back and spilled the tea everywhere, drenching her uniform.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" An exorcist shouted. Shiemi's face turned bright red again.

Izumo quickly maintained a calm attitude. "Glad nothing got on you, sir," Izumo spoke as she continued to help the man.

"Um, Moriyama-san, why don't you go collect ten stalks of _Valeriana Fauriei_ from the garden outside?" A monk asked.

"O-Okay! I'm s-sorry!" Shiemi blushed intensively and turned to Izumo to apologize. Shiemi walked out of the room and when she was alone, she buried her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment.

 _I'm... so useless!_

Amitiel cleaned up the mess and allowed Izumo to help Shiemi while she helped the patient. Rin stood by, holding the platters of watermelon in each of his hands. Kuro kept bugging him on giving him a slice but Rin only watched as Amitiel cared for the ill monk. Rin distributed the watermelon around. He would observe Amitiel once in a while as she gingerly held up the sick man's head and helped him with his tea. It was amazing how tender and caring she was towards him, which only made him sad she didn't act the same way around him.

A few moments later, Yunokawa allowed the Exwires and Amitiel to take an hour break and rest in their rooms. Amitiel had Rin follow her as she set up various seals around the building. She had found some chalk somehow and Rin couldn't help but ask where it was. Turns out there was some in the kitchen. Rin watched as Amitiel drew on the walls. The way she made the symbols and swirls clearly showed Rin how experienced she was. The chalk used was special in a way the chalky colour fades away, making it practically invisible. It was amazing to watch it slowly disappear. When it becomes weak, the colour would return as a pasty red.

A few exorcists and monks stopped by Rin and asked for a slice of watermelon and he allowed them.

Amitiel figured to get her mind off Rin, she decided to show him how to draw the seals and let him do some later on. She was at least decent enough to have him help around.

"The Third pentacle of Jupiter* is the most basic seal to repel demons. It's commonly used for protection against summoned demons or uninvited ones. Like all seals, the mark of Solomon is drawn on the lower left quadrant which crosses with the seal of Michael in the upper right quadrant. The other quadrants are used to add strength or specify on which demons to repel. Keep in mind that specifying which demon to repel is more powerful than protection against all demons. It's like protection against one type is less work for the seal than all demons. Therefore, you need to set up more of these seals if you want to increase its strength against all demons."

"Man, you're like a damn breathing grimoire. Not those little ones, but those big ol' fat ones," Rin commented as he watched Amitiel draw the seal. "How the hell do you remember all this?"

"It takes skill and determination... well, in my case, I had no choice," Amitiel replied as she drew the circle. "It's a part of my culture, after all. I see these as a language."

"You did get permission to draw those from the _okami_ , right? I mean, this is her property," Rin said, still holding the wooden platters of watermelon in both his hands. Kuro made an attempt to sneak a bite but Rin caught him each time.

"Of course I would," Amitiel said. She withdrew from the seal and observed it. "All right, stand back."

"H-Hold on a sec! It's not gonna kill me or Kuro is it?!" Rin exclaimed, almost dropping the watermelon slices.

"It may hurt a little. I modified it a little so that it only repels demons associated with rot," Amitiel replied and clasped her hands together.

" _A Song of Degrees. They that trust in Tetragrammaton shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever*,"_ Amitiel chanted in Latin and the seal glowed a soothing orange glow, at the same time, the white chalk merged into the wall. It was a special perk of barrier chalk, which made the seal appear invisible.

The light radiated as the seal was activated, then Rin screamed suddenly and backed away, frantically yelling, "Hana! I'm on fire! I'M ON FIRE!"

That sounded ironic.

Amitiel gasped and ran at him. There were a few bunches of orange flame all over Rin's shirt. She tried to have Rin remain still as she extinguished the small flames on Rin's shirt. Rin appeared to be dancing on hot coals trying to find a source of water, though it was difficult for him with the platters of watermelon balancing on his hands.

"Rin! Stay still!" Amitiel shouted and tried to stop him. Kuro meowed and swat at the fire on Rin's shirt. Some exorcists just watched in consternation as the goofy trio ran all over the place, screaming at each other.

"HANA! I'M GONNA BURN TO DEATH!" Rin screamed. "LIKE—FOR REAL!"

"THEN STAY STILL!"

Rin ran all over the place and ended up colliding with Amitiel. They both tumbled to the ground with Amitiel landing on top of him. Kuro was the only one who managed to land upright and he reverted to his giant form to save the plates of watermelon from spilling everywhere.

Kuro caught the plates with his paws. He reverted to his innocent feline form soon after. The watermelon slices laid still beside him and intact on the wooden plates. _"Rin! I saved the watermelon! Can I have some now?"_ Kuro meowed, but stopped and stared as Amitiel and Rin ended up looking into each others' eyes. Rin was ignoring the fact Amitiel was on top of him. He just couldn't stop staring at her.

Rin noticed how surprised Amitiel was, it was even showing in her dark amber eyes. Actually, they didn't seem so dark anymore with the angelic white specks glowing in her pupils. It felt Rin was staring straight into her soul. Both observed their surprised faces as they both bathed in the golden light of the sun rays coming into the inn.

"Hi," Rin shot a cheeky smile and Amitiel immediately responded by throwing herself off him. She noticed her cheeks were getting all hot, unaware she was blushing intensively.

"What the—!" Amitiel was speechless.

"I'm surprised you didn't punch me!" Rin smiled again, scratching the back of his head and blushing intensely. He picked up the watermelon while Kuro perched on his head. Amitiel didn't respond. Everything after tht incident was filled with awkward silence, and for some reason, Rin couldn't stop blushing at Amitiel. She was a little confused and annoyed by it.

Rin moved through the building as Amitiel was setting up the seals, and he built up the courage to ask if he can help in any way, and Amitiel allowed him, surprisingly.

"Huh? Seriously?!" Rin exclaimed. "Even though you don't trust me?"

"They're just seals, Rin," Amitiel responded, but realized what she said.

"Hey! You said my name!" Rin smiled eagerly.

Amitiel frowned and shook her head. "It's... It's not like I trust you!" She backfired.

"There really is hope after all!" Rin beamed. "I'm gonna try so hard to make up with you, got it?"

"Stop saying that to me, son of Satan," Amitiel growled, which caused Rin's smile to die out. "There's nothing you can do to change my mind."

Rin's skin felt cold. His attitude suddenly went from cheerful to downright depressed in an instant.

Amitiel walked away, adding, "I'm going to my room. I need to get away from all this..."

Rin was alone in the hallway as she walked away. All his frustrations began to build up. He was becoming fed up of Amitiel constantly giving him the cold-shoulder even though he had done nothing wrong. It was discouraging that Amitiel was trying so hard to push him away after all they've been through.

"Hana! Wait!" Rin called out to her and she stopped.

Amitiel only whispered, "that's not my name..."

"Just listen for a sec," Rin was serious now. "When are you gonna drop this act?"

"What act?"

"That cold, distant act!" Rin blurted. "I've known you for months and you've opened up to us, but now its like you've shut yourself down!"

"The reason should be quite obvious, son of Satan," Amitiel spat.

"Oh, so now it's all my fault, huh?" Rin pointed at himself with a look of frustration. "Let me just rub all this son of Satan bullshit off me, that seems pretty easy, right? You think I chose to be like this?"

"Stop..." Amitiel spoke softly.

"No, you need to get your head out of your ass 'cause you know what? I've worked my butt off trying to control my flames, but you just don't seem to acknowledge that I'm trying to win you back." Rin shut his eyes and tried to stop himself from going any further, but a part of him didn't stop. "I-I know I've made mistakes, but I trying to control myself! Can't you see through the son of Satan and see _me_?"

Amitiel shook her head. "... You don't understand. It's not as simple as you think..."

"It damn well is!" Rin exploded.

"I was sent to kill you!" Amitiel yelled, pointing her finger at him. "YOU! The _son of Satan_! Who is destined to destroy the world!"

Rin grit his teeth. "What do you mean destined?! No one decides what to do with my life!"

"I do! Raziel has visions of the future! Did you not see that when he showed the Grigori?" Amitiel shouted, striking Rin's memories of Samyaza's reaction to Raziel's vision. It was a vision of Rin destroying the world and burning it down. It was a repetition of the Blue Night on a global scale that resulted in humanity's extinction. It seemed like a horrible experience for the Grigori.

As Amitiel yelled at him, Rin only kept his head low and stayed quiet.

"He saw you!" Amitiel continued. "You destroyed the entire human race! How can I take a chance to put humanity in danger when I could prevent its extinction?!"

Rin grit his teeth and clenched his fists. What pissed him off the most in this world is people who believe destiny is real. It only gave people an excuse to remain prejudiced and judgemental. It was a way to knock down people's courage to be themselves and live life the way they believe will bring them the most happiness.

To hell with destiny. All of it.

"You... don't you dare tell me about destiny... You haven't even given me a chance!" Rin suddenly shouted. "Just because someone sees the future doesn't make their opinions right! People can change! You said that to become a good person I need to change, and I've actually listened to you! My biggest wish is to be a good person! How can you throw that destiny crap at my face after you've said all that? Was it all just lies, then?

Amitiel was taken aback. "You know I'd never lie! You've deceived me into believing that you can change! But you can't change! Your fate is decided by your blood heritage to Satan!"

Amitiel paused for a breath and recollected herself. "... Satan was not evil before. I knew him and my brothers and sisters looked up to him as a hero and a leader. It was because of pride and desire that he became corrupted. That will happen to you too, it's inscribed in your blood to give in to dark desires. One day you will destroy Assiah."

Rin was on the brink of giving up. He looked at her defeated and whispered,"... So that's it? There's nothing I can do to make up with you?

"The only way is to die," Amitiel finally said and she walked away, leaving Rin alone in the hallway. Despite it was humid and hot outside, Rin felt cold and dead—inside and out.

The two managed to go to their rooms. They both closed the door and locked them.

Amidst the loneliness of the room, Amitiel and Rin rested their backs on their doors and slid down to the ground as they sobbed heavily.

* * *

 **A/N: I HAD THIS THING COMPLETE BUT THEN I FORGOT TO SAVE IT FML. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I DONE THIS?**

 **I know this chapter is so short but if I went any further it would end up being over 10 000 words (yikes). Also, another new chapter to make up for my absence. It was already planned out dialogue-wise, I just had to add descriptions etc lol. I was planning on writing this scholarly paper for nursing but I wasted my time on this thingy**

 **I honestly expect you guys to hate on Amitiel. She kinda deserves it lol**

 **...**

 **Tatsuma: What's your name, sonny?**

 **My name? My name is Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ugwemuhwem Osas**

 **Tatsuma: ... oh.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **I AM (NOT) SORRY.**

 **see what i did there? XD**

 **Anyways, thank you guys for paying attention to this story even though Amitiel can be a Mary-sueish bitch roflmfao**


	4. Chapter 3: The List

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (** **青の祓魔師（エクソシスト** **)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

 **不潔な火—Impure Fire**

 ** _Chapter 3: The List_**

* * *

 **After Break**

* * *

The aftermath of the fight between Rin and Amitiel still clung to them after their breaks. Even though they couldn't even dare to look at each other, they knew they needed to push all that frustration aside and do their jobs. To Amitiel, it was easy to swallow down her feelings, but to Rin, he still felt that tightness in his throat before he would cry. He was struggling to swat away his emotions, yet they kept coming back like persistent flies.

To make matters worse, no one seemed to trust Rin enough to do some work, so he was left standing around holding the wooden plates of watermelon hoping a few individuals would come and serve themselves before the melons got warm and soggy.

There was persistent shouting coming from a nearby room full of recovering exorcists. The argument seemed to have heated up considerably as more people jumped in the fight.

"What the hell did you just say?!" A voice suddenly shouted from the nearby room. Soon after, there was the sound of a window smashing as a first aid kit came flying out.

Rin, Amitiel, and Kuro quickly pursued the source of the screaming and shouting and entered the room full of recovering exorcists.

"What's going on here?!" An exorcist barged in with Amitiel and Rin. Rin could only stand still with confusion while holding the melons.

"I'm sick of listening to your crap, you bitch!" A male exorcist shouted at a young female exorcist. Both were sitting up on bed rolls.

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared! You going to resort to force now, huh? That's what you Shimas always do since you've got no brains!" The female exorcist jeered. Two others that looked just like her giggled altogether. Rin noticed the strange markings on her face. There was red eyeshadow or what he assumed was makeup at the distal areas of her eyes and a serpentine design running up her cheek from her neck. Her silver white hair was tied by an intricate traditional hair piece that held her hair in a long ponytail. The male exorcist that was arguing with her appeared just as young as her. He had messy, layered blond hair with a hair clip in it. He carried a staff exactly like that of Renzo Shima. Another exorcist beside him had chocolate brown hair that was always ruffled. It reminded Rin of Shima's hair in a way. In fact, he looked like an older Renzo Shima. Both of them did. He was also carrying the same staff Shima used.

"WHAT?!" The blonde exorcist yelled.

"The recent attack on the Keep only proves how much your father lacks leadership," the female exorcist added. "Even when everyone's in this mess, Yaozo Shima is still lying around in bed! He should resign already!"

"You take that back, you ugly Hojo snake bitch! Don't ya dare disown my father like that!" The blonde shouted back. "You're just scared to admit it was _your_ fault we're in this mess! _You_ should resign!"

"Hey, Kin, don't get yourself all worked up," the exorcist beside the blonde added with a carefree smile, though he wouldn't stop him if he did pick a fight.

"I can't stand the sight of you assholes! You're just refusing to acknowledge the _real_ problem here!" The female shouted back.

"Oh, really?! Do I look like I give a shit about your problems?!" The blonde nicknamed Kin barked.

"I thought Kyoto was more elegant than this..." Rin muttered to himself, a little disappointed.

"Hey! The Keep was _your_ responsibility! Your defenses were so shitty someone actually broke in it!" The brown-haired exorcist finally jumped into the argument.

"Oh, please! You're the ones that were supposed to stop the intruder, but they managed to get _all the way_ to the Keep!" The female exorcist said, and the others beside her giggled.

"You got that right, big sis!" One of the sisters added.

The brown-haired exorcist grit his teeth in utter anger and grabbed his staff, driving it right into the female exorcist's face, which she easily dodged. The sisters beside her shrieked.

"You _monkey_!" The female exorcist shouted as she signed with her hands and chanted, " _aum...amrte...hum...phat!_ " At the same time, her hand morphed into a snake and it hissed. "I'd lower that stick if I were you... monkey!"

"Nagas! Whaddo we do, Ju?!" The blonde shrieked.

"You've got some guts, Mamushi!" The exorcist growled. "Kinzo, back me up!"

"That's the spirit!" Kinzo winked and his partner began chanting. " _Om! Strihka-rupa hum kham svaha! Fly, Kiriku!"_ Kinzo launched his staff and it flew straight to the Naga, however, it missed as the snake deflected it, redirecting it to a nearby exorcist.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!" An exorcist shouted while the snake went rogue and attacked the others. "Someone stop that Naga!"

Rin gulped when the Naga looked straight at him—and he knew he was screwed. He couldn't defend himself while holding up the plates of watermelon, let alone not having his sword with him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the incoming attack, however, he managed to glimpse at Amitiel as she dived in front of Rin, shielding him as she summoned her blades out of thin air and blocked the Naga from approaching him any closer. Amitiel swung her blades, launching the demon back. It changed courses and aimed at the injured exorcists in the same room.

"Stop it!" An exorcist shouted.

 _"_ Hana? Why did you—!" Rin looked at her in shock, though he wasn't the only one.

 _What... am I doing?_ Amitiel thought—though she couldn't stop herself.

Ryuji barged into the room with Konekomaru and Shima, and quickly chanted, " _on basara gini hara nenhatana souka!_ "

A bright glowing yellow seal appeared in front of the Naga and banished it.

"KNOCK IT OFF! What the hell are you guys _doing_?!" Ryuji yelled, silencing Mamushi, Kinzo, and Juzo.

"Hey! It's Bon!" Kinzo exclaimed.

"Ryuji-sama!" Mamushi called.

"Why are you guys fighting?! You're comrades, godammit!" Ryuji shouted. "We're being targeted by the enemy—this is no time to argue!"

"But those snake whores—!" Kinzo shouted.

"You may be the head priest's son, and you are technically my superior... but the one you should be speaking with is your father," Mamushi huffed.

"Hey! Don't talk to Bon like that!" Kinzo shouted, though was quickly interrupted by Ryuji.

"No, she's right..." Ryuji said and walked away. "Just behave, will ya?"

"Bon!" Konekomaru sensed his stress levels rising, but Ryuji only ignored him as he made his way back to whatever chores Shura shoved down his throat. Ryuji saw the plate of watermelon Rin was holding and took a slice as he walked away.

* * *

Hours have passed until the sun was just resting upon the horizon, but to Rin, it felt like days. He was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, as he had been bustling himself carrying boxes of vaccines and other medical supplies throughout the inn. Unfortunately, he didn't see Tatsuma Suguro around, and he was really hoping to see him again. There was a part of him that reminded Rin of Shiro Fujimoto—it was his sense of humor and laidback personality.

Rin wondered if Shiro would've been great friends with Tatsuma.

"It's getting dark already... I'm so tired," Shima whined as he plopped himself on top of some boxes he and his friends prepared. Ryuji didn't dare stop to rest and loaded a box with supplies and sealed it shut. Even Konekomaru, with his broken arm, didn't stop for a breather.

"Just hang in there, Shima," Konekomaru encouraged him.

"You'll have to get used to this," Suguro said as he lifted the box and piled it on top of others. "You'll be on your feet all day all week. In fact, being an exorcist requires you on your feet _all the time_!" Suguro gradually raised his voice and growled at Shima and his lazy attitude.

Shima whined some more and couldn't help it. Rin and Amitiel emerged from a gate to the yard and saw the trio. Rin's heart fluttered a little yet he pressed on when he smelled something delicious coming from the kitchen beyond the door across the Kyoto trio.

"Oh man, I'm starving! Is supper ready or what?" Rin spoke famished. His stomach couldn't stop growling.

"Ryuji!" Torako called after peeping out of the entrance. "I need your help!"

"There's _more_?!" Shima cried.

The trio, Amitiel, and Rin entered the kitchen. Upon entering it, Rin immediately followed the scent of the food to a horde of box lunches. "Oh man! That looks so good!" Rin exclaimed with slobber at the corner of his lip. He resisted himself from snatching one.

"Do you mind taking these and deliver them to the field office? There's a lot and we are too busy!" Torako asked.

"Sure thing, ma'am!" Rin exclaimed. "Leave the lifting to me!"

"You've all been a great help! Thank you so much!" Torako smiled, pleased.

Rin stacked several box lunches and wrapped them. He lifted them up with ease, which surprised Torako and the workers.

"Oh my! You're pretty strong!" Torako remarked at Rin's incredible strength, then turned to Ryuji with a nasty eye. "See that, Ryuji?! Now stop complaining and hop to it!"

"I didn't even say anything!" Ryuji snarked but his mother gave him the stink eye. He immediately surrendured and carried some box lunches out—not ten boxes in each hand like Rin—but enough for him to get tuckered out minutes on the way to the field office. He noted to himself to work on his upper body strength later on.

"Jeez, how can Okumura make it look so easy?" Shima already whined, despite he was only carrying a handful. He saw that even Konekomaru was carrying some boxes in spite on his broken arm. "Koneko-san, you're overdoing it!"

"If Konekomaru can do it without whining like a bitch, you should shut up," Ryuji growled, which forced Renzo to whine silently to himself. After a few seconds of walking down a hall listening to Shima's constant moaning and heavy breathing, Amitiel gestured her hand towards Shima's stacks of bento. They hovered off his grasp and floated just above her hand.

"Whoa! Amitiel-sama! You're such an _angel_!" Shima cooed, feeling the relief off his shoulders. The others were mesmerized at Amitiel's abilities. To be honest, Ryuji felt very intimidated around her. The fact she was _the_ Archangel Amitiel (he did a lot of research on her upon finding out), it amazed yet terrified him. An angel is not to be underestimated and is by far the most powerful species.

Satan, the god of all demons, was once an angel, after all.

"A-Amazing..." Konekomaru replied quietly, he gulped when she heard him and lifted her other free hand. At the same time, the few boxes Konekomaru carried floated away and hovered over her hand. "Amitiel-sama, you shoudn't have—!"

"You're injured, Konekomaru," Amitiel replied. "I value your health more than a simple task. You are a vital part of this mission and we cannot afford to delay your healing."

"I'm... vital...?" Konekomaru stopped in his tracks, surprised.

"Of course you are," Amitiel responded immediately and stopped as well. "You may not realize it, but every single person is vital to the safety of the people here in Kyoto."

"B-But... Amitiel-sama, my contribution will pale in comparison to yours...!" Konekomaru spoke and reached for his stack of bento boxes hovering over her hand. "I-I need to be of some use to you! I can't just sit around and do nothing! The people of Myoda... they need as much help as they can get! Even if I may be of little importance..."

"Konekomaru..." Ryuji whispered.

Amitiel calmly looked at Konekomaru, despite he was feeling inferior to her. She saw so much raw determination in his dark grey eyes yet it was so delicate. There was doubt, frustration, and even grief in his eyes. She never noticed anything from one's eyes, but for some reason, she could see Konekomaru's fragile soul in them. It was the first time she saw such raw... _emotion._ She didn't understand it. She _couldn't_ understand it. It was overwhelming her.

"Your determination and self is what is vital to the mission," Amitiel replied, allowing Konekomaru to continue holding the boxes. "You've already proven to me worthy of being a great exorcist. Your mother and father would be proud of you."

Konekomaru gasped and swallowed back tears. "... T-Thank you for your kind words, Amitiel-sama! I'm... I'm so grateful!" He immediately bowed to her.

Rin looked back at Amitiel and when she saw his eyes, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her. Just like Konekomaru's eyes, she saw clearly through Rin's... but what she saw was pain. The same pain she saw during that stormy confrontation just before she was going to kill him. Rin's screams to kill him reflected all that pain in his eyes. It felt like a slap to her face recalling that moment and she forced herself to look away from the source of her discomfort. She felt as if her heart dropped at her feet.

Everyone arrived and dropped off the box lunches at the field office.

"We got you guys catering from the inn," Suguro said as the gang placed the boxes on a table for the exorcists to serve themselves.

Shura Kirigakure was present and exclaimed happily, "Thanks, guys! You must be tired as hell!" She grabbed a box and plopped herself down at a table nearby. "I'll let you kids settle down and rest. We have to work bright n' early tomorow!" Shura added, trying to sound enthusiatic despite she was already fed up of working.

"FINALLY," Shima suddenly exclaimed.

"Rest is fine but—gimme some food, dammit!" Rin pleaded with a growl of his stomach.

"Kirigakure-sensei?" Suguro finally spoke after staying silent for a bit, "may I head out for a bit?"

"Hmm? Where?" Shura asked after she mumbled happily to herself and opened up the box to reveal a succulent, fresh array of sushi.

"Kongo-shinzan."

"Huh?! The mountains? At this hour?" Shura looked at him in disdain.

"I need to see my father," was all Suguro said.

Shura paused for a moment, munching on her sushi, before she replied, "no. As yer superiour, I cannot allow it after dark. I know it must be family business, but remember we're here on a mission." Shura noticed Suguro didn't retort as expected. "Here," she pointed at the box lunches beside her and passed a bag."Have some supper and some soft drinks."

"ALRIGHT! FOOD!" Rin screamed in excitement. He quickly snatched a box before anyone else could and hurried off with a soft drink as well. The boys and Amitiel walked out of the office to the back of the building. It was enclosed in a tall wooden fence. There wasn't any seating available inside, so the gang had to improvise and find some boulders to sit on outside.

"Hey, Suguro! You should eat as well!" Rin said as he teased Ryuji by poking him. "C'mon, ya flamin' Gorilla!"

Suguro finally snapped and ripped the box right out of Rin's hand. He gasped at his sudden movement. "Just... _shut up_!" Ryuji yelled and stomped away.

Rin's heart sank and his fingers still trembled after Ryuji's blowup. "Uh... I guess he's mad?" Rin spoke nervously.

"H-Hey! Konekomaru! Wanna eat together like usual?" Rin asked, his tail waved with hope.

Konekomaru gasped silently and quickly responded by looking away, "I... I need to pay respect to my parents..."

Rin immediately understood, though Konekomaru took it as an evasive excuse. "Right... that's more important."

Rin plopped onto a nearby boulder and opened the cold can of pop in his hand. It fizzed initially and Rin took a sip. He noted how strong the scent was. It didn't quite taste like root beer to him, though he ignored it. Amitiel only stood beside him with her arms crossed as if she were his bodyguard.

 _Oh shit... I'm alone with him_. Shima suddenly realized and quickly thought up an excuse to get away. "I... uh... I should be going too—"

"What!?" Rin exclaimed, small flicks of blue flames licked the surface of his clothes and hair. "You ain't gonna eat with me either?!"

Shima stood dumbfounded and defeated, unable to think of an excuse on time. "I-I never said that! I just thought Konekomaru or Bon might be lonely so... and you're with Amitiel-sama, right? So... you aren't alone!" Shima blurted out whatever came to the surface.

"Yah, but she wants to kill me!" Rin yelled.

"Oh, I'm sure she doesn't!" Shima added, though he realized how obviously stupid his response was when both Rin and Amitiel frowned at him. He never felt this embarassed in his life, let alone in front of the son of Satan and the Archangel Amitiel.

Shima managed to sit on another boulder—far away from Rin—and quickly dug into his supper as fast as possible.

"Aren't ya gonna eat?" Rin looked up at Amitiel. "I mean, angels do it, right?"

"Angels don't eat, I do it because my vessel needs it. Food seems so inconvenient and trivial... humans glorify it way too much it unsettles me," Amitiel spoke. Rin looked at her with food stuffed in his mouth, he swallowed it loudly and turned his attention back to his food. Suddenly, he didn't feel as hungry as before, so he settled for the weird-tasting root beer.

"Hana... I mean, Amitiel... sama... I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," Rin suddenly spoke. His apology took Amitiel by surprise. "It's just... It just hurts me so much seeing you hate me and all that... every one of you..." Rin took a large gulp of his soda.

Amitiel didn't look back at him. She only observed Shima in the distance eating his supper in silence. "... Let's just forget about that. Negativity... will only cloud my judgment." Amitiel said, even though her judgment was already clouded black.

"But I want you to know..." Rin continued, "I'm not gonna give up. I still believe I can be a good person because you said so yourself. If it were not true, you'd know, right?"

Amitiel grit her teeth and closed her eyes and fists. "... Why are you trying so hard...?"

Rin let out a genuine smile. It was so shocking despite how much emotional pain he was in. "... Because I still consider you my friend."

Amitiel felt her eyes sting with tears again. She quickly snatched a box lunch beside Rin and avoided his gaze at all costs. She walked away in a brisk manner towards another boulder a distance away from both Rin and Shima. She didn't dare speak to Rin again as she was too busy holding her tears back.

Rin's smile died out and he focused back on his soda. He looked up at Shima, who was shoving sushi in his mouth. He gulped when Rin noticed his distant presence.

"Oi... Aren't ya kinda far away?" Rin asked suspiciously, his cheeks became red as he suddenly felt a little tipsy after drinking that whole can of mystery soda.

"Huh?" Shima immediately lifted his head up, alarms were going off inside his head." Am I?"

"You're scared of me too, aren't ya?!" Rin exclaimed and hiccupped, crushing the can in his hand. Small flicks of blue flames still danced on him, which provoked Amitiel a few times before they died down.

"What? Of course not!" Shima chuckled nervously, sweat began to form on his forehead. Amitiel gave him a nasty eye, indicating she knew he was lying. "I just figured you wanted some privacy... plus I just don't wanna be an inconvenience to you!"

"Inconvenience?" Rin hiccupped again. "Bullshit! Man, I always knew ya weren't cool!" Rin shouted. His demeanor was starting to become more and more childish as he had gotten rice all over his face and fingers like a baby. His food looked like a childish mess as well.

"Hold on a sec... did you say I wasn't cool?" Shima stopped. "I won't let you say that! I'm the _epitome_ of cool!" Shima backfired.

"Oh, that's also bullshit! Man, I don't need to be the Angel of Truth to see that!" Rin chuckly loudly, a little too much at that and rolled his head back laughing and hiccupping. His face was beet red.

"What's going on with you? You're laughing too hard!" Shima remarked.

Rin fetched his hand in his pocket (he missed a few times) and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. He unfurled it in an disorganized manner to reveal a list of sloppy writing.

"Heh heh! According to my 'Coolness Ranking'," Rin spoke, pointing at the bottom of the long piece of paper, "You're way down here!"

"I'm lower than Okumura-sensei?!" Shima exclaimed, though he had to check again as Rin's writing was barely readable.

"Nope, yer off the page," Rin simply said.

"What?! That's harsh, Okumura!" Shima bolted up and turned to Amitiel for justification. "Amitiel-sama, tell me he's lying!"

Amitiel looked unpleased and annoyed beyond whatever range of emotions she knows. "Don't drag me into this petty argument, human," Amitiel growled.

"Well, where are ya in that list!?" Shima exclaimed at Amitiel. He approched Rin and snatched the paper out of his hand. Shima scanned the whole thing and came to a brief conclusion. "Your name isn't on the list as well!" Shima turned to Rin. "How can you not consider Amitiel-sama's divine presence as cool?!" Shima said, sugar-coating Amitiel's reputation.

"I am so glad I am not on that despicable list of yours," Amitiel added and stood up to stretch.

"Your not," Rin aggreed with a cool smile. "... because you far surpass the ranks."

Amitiel stopped.

"Would that mean I am at the bottom?" Amitiel corrected Rin. "That's where I deserve to be, right? Stop sugar-coating everything, and why would Kuro be at the bottom? Yukio too. He accepted you, right?"

Rin snorted and shouted, "Quit bein' a friggin' critic about my awesome "Coolness Ranking", jeez!" Rin huffed and puffed out his red cheeks. He hiccupped again and almost fell off the boulder.

"Your list is bullshit!" Shima exclaimed back.

"Don't blame me! It's an obvious... fact!" Rin shrugged his shoulders. Rin and Shima were silent for a moment before the two burst out laughing. Rin laughed so hysterically he fell over the boulder, which provoked Shima to laugh to the ground. Amitiel was the only one who was clearly confused at what was happening.

"Oh man, what are we doing?" Shima chuckled. "I tried to avoid you as much as possible, but here we are chatting like normal! Avoiding you was the biggest mistake of my life, so I'm out!"

"Yah, give up already. It's no use resisting me," Rin chuckled and hiccupped after he got back up on his boulder. There was dirt in his hair and clothes.

"Bon and Koneko are too uptight about this... you are too, Amitiel-sama," Shima said as he popped open his can of soda and sipped it. Amitiel looked at Shima with slight confusion, but she looked away. "I'm sure Okumura here's been through a lot, I don't wanna make it any worse!"

As Amitiel approached Rin, she noticed a faint, but strong scent coming from his breath. "What is that smell?" Amitiel remarked, though she assumed it was the soft drink Rin chugged down.

"Shima's right!" Rin shouted as he unsteadily stood up and pointed a finger at Amitiel with determination flaring in his droopy electric blue eyes. "Ya have no friggin' idea how hard life's been to me! I mean, first my dad dies because of my other dad, then stupid Four-Eyes said I should die. And then you said I should die, and now I think I should die because I'm jus' the son of satan, right?! Well ya know what—screw all this! I've been workin' my ass off tryin' to be good and you keep bitchin' at me saying it's impossible! Suguro won't even talk to me, Bozo over there can't even sit next to me," (Shima exclaimed 'hey!' on the sidelines), "Shiemi can't even look at me, Konekomaru is scared shitless of me, and Izumo... well... she's the only one who doesn't seem to care about anything! Why can't ya accept me for who I am? Why does it have to be this way? Why can't we just go back to the way things were before? I liked you so much, Hana, but now you hate me and it feels like it's killing me inside!" Rin kept nagging to himself, while Amitiel and Shima both stood silent in shock at his sudden rant. "I just want to be accepted and treated like a normal person! Jus' give me a chance to show you I can be good!" Rin managed to take a step and wobbled over to Amitiel, reaching out for her.

Amitiel was in too much shock to think properly.

"Why are you trying so hard... to win me back?" Amitiel spoke under her breath. The tears she held back a while ago began to come back.

Rin exclaimed, "Because I lo—"

Rin fell forward and passed out in Amitiel's arms. She stood there in absolute bewilderment and awe at what had just occured. Shima could only stand still as he didn't know what to do.

"Uh... did you kill him?" Shima asked.

Amitiel and Shima noticed he was still breathing and alive. Amitiel looked at Rin. He looked like such a dishevelled mess as if he were drunk and at his wit's end. Amitiel looked down at Rin in her arms and she suddenly felt that familiar wave of sadness she first experienced when she found out about Rin's identity as the son of Satan. However, instead of disappointement and anger, she felt guilty.

She felt as if she was the demon instead of Rin.

Amitiel gingerly lifted him up and craddled him in her arms as she and Shima walked back to the inn. Rin dozed off in a drunken sleep. The only thing he could notice was the sweet scent of heaven envelopping him.

"Man, he almost said it—!" Shima whispered to himself.

"What?"

"N-Nothing!" Shima replied quickly and parted ways from Amitiel and Rin. "Just give him a chance, Amitiel-sama! He's a good guy, and you know I'm telling the truth!" Shima said before he said goodbye and walked to his room.

Amitiel was alone with Rin, though he was sleeping soundly in her arms. She arrived at his room and opened the door with her telepathic abilities as her hands were full. She walked in without turning the lights on and rested Rin on his bed. She watched him as he automatically slid under the cover, mumbling something else she didn't catch on. She observed his sleeping face. It looked so innocent and angelic in the moonlight.

Amitiel managed to say a few words out loud despite Rin was sleeping. "I hate you. So why... Do I feel so hurt?" Amitiel choked back tears.

Amitiel was about to stand up and walk out but she felt Rin latch onto her hand. He held on to her as if his very life depended on it, as if he refused to be alone to his emotional pain. Amitiel gasped silently when she noticed Rin was choking up tears mid-way to sleep.

"D-Don't leave me..." Rin mumbled as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Amitiel's heart shattered. She had never felt this horrible in her existence. Though a part of her was still trying to convince her that all this was just a trap to decieve her into showing mercy to the son of Satan.

She shook her head and buried that part of her. This time she buried it so deep all she could think about was staying by his side out of mere protection and comfort. Not out of hatred.

For the rest of the long, damp night, Rin slept while Amitiel wept.

* * *

 **A/N: WHAT THE FUCK RIN.**

 **WHAT THE FUCK AMITIEL.**

 **WHAT THE FUCK SHIMA.**

 **IM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. FORGIVE ME.**

 **Whew, I'm back in the game. I finished exams a few weeks ago but then I had this writer's block... again. I guess being on hiatus killed my determination to write this for a while, but I beat it. I'll never discontinue this story. I have so many ideas to show you guys and I can't wait to explore Rin and Amitiel's relationship in a romantic way (yes, it's gonna become a thing—there I said it. Well, I think everyone expected it someway).**

 **I know it seems impossible for Rin and Amitiel to be in a relationship at this point, but that's why this arc will show Amitiel that Rin really isn't such a shitty person (and discover that she's the one that was shitty to him). But the big question is... is she really worth it for Rin?**

 **Let me know what you guys think! Thank you so much for sticking with this story even though it takes forever to write it! orz**

 **PS: I'LL BE UPDATING THIS PROBABLY WITH SOMETHING ELSE LATER ON. I KNOW YOU GUYS WANT SOMETHING SO HERE YA GO FOR NOW**


	5. Chapter 4: Fool's Paradise

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

 _ **There were birds chirping outside.** He could hear them sing their usual morning song midway to waking up. He could smell the fresh air lingering in his bedroom as he had left the window open all night. Rin yawned and got up from his bed and dragged himself to the window, where he admired the deep blue sky, warm sunlight, and the busy street of Tokyo laid out before him..._

 _"WHAT THE—" Rin recoiled and almost jumped out of his own skin when he realized something was way off. "I was just in Kyoto! What the hell is going on?!"_

 _Rin snapped himself shut when he noticed something else extremely off. He wasn't even in the abandoned male dormitory nor was he even close to being in Kyoto._

 _He was at home. At the monastery._

 _"Huh?" Rin could only gape in absolute confusion, though he immediately thought up for a plausible reason._

 _This must be a dream... It's gotta be._

 _Rin looked at his bedroom. It was a quaint little space for just enough for one individual, though Rin and Yukio had to improvise and make room for themselves. There were two twin-sized beds on each side of the room, sort of like the same setup back at the dorm, though it was much stuffier and tiny. When they were little, they had an old wooden bunk bed that creaked with even the slightest movement. As the boys grew up, Shiro managed to cut the bunk bed in two and placed them in where they are today. Money was tight to them as the monastery relied mostly on donations for trivial things such as a new bed (Yukio was a little pissed a bed was classified as trivial). The Knights funded them only what was necessary for equipment and renovations, though the boys knew Shiro would secretly spend the funding on things more important than equipment._

 _Rin looked at Yukio's bed and, of course, it was neatly made without any wrinkles. He looked at the doorway and heard some voices coming from downstairs. Rin approached the stairs and calmly went down. It was just a dream anyway. It's not like some demon would suddenly appear and attack him. He was safe here._

 _Midway down the stairs, Rin heard another voice among a small group that stood out the most. It was so familiar and recognizable despite he hadn't heard it in months._

 _His heart was pounding as he rushed downstairs and bolted into the kitchen to find someone that knocked the breath out of him._

 _There, stood in the kitchen, was Shiro Fujimoto._

 _"Rin! You're awake a last! I thought you died for a sec!" Shiro laughed and Rin only froze in place. He had goosebumps everywhere and his heart was pounding as if he had just finished a marathon._

 _Yukio was also there along with Nagatomo, Maruta, Izumi, and Kyodo._

 _"What's... going on here?" Rin asked in shock as everyone stopped what they were doing. The kitchen was a mess and it smelt like a bakery._

 _Shiro approached Rin and threw his arm over his shoulder. "Whaddya mean by that? Have you forgotten already?" Shiro smirked. "It's only the greatest achievement you've made in ages!"_

 _"Huh?" Was all Rin_ said. _He was a little overwhelmed by all this information smacking him in the face._

 _"You got a job at the restaurant as a waiter!" Yukio smiled. Rin was a little baffled at Yukio's cheerful personality. It was rare to see Yukio that way. In fact, it was weird to see him so lively and proud._

 _"Hear that, son? We're gonna celebrate with cake and sukiyaki!" Shiro laughed and teased Rin with a headlock. Rin attempted to wrestle himself free but stopped as he noticed he was in Shiro's arms. Rin felt a lingering sense of nostalgia that provoked him to tears. Rin wrapped his arms around Shiro and locked them tight as if some unknown force was trying to separate the two and he refused to let go._

 _"Whoa there, buddy! What's gotten into you? You so happy you're sweating out of your eyes?" Shiro chuckled and embraced Rin, ruffling his navy-blue hair. He still couldn't believe how tall his son had become already, and yet he still acted like a big baby at times._

 _"I miss you so much, Dad..." Rin spoke as his tears streamed down his reddened face as he clutched Shiro._

 _"Man, how long have you been out, huh? Seems like ages, I guess!" Shiro laughed and Rin couldn't help but_ heave _out a shaky chuckle._

 _"I'm so proud of you, Rin," Shiro whispered and it provoked Rin to weep even harder. All his life he had tried so hard to make his father proud, even though he ended up screwing up every time. But just when he was about to show him the son he always wanted and how proud he was, Shiro's life was taken away from Rin. His one chance to prove himself had gone in the void—lost forever._

 _Shiro patted Rin on the shoulder and Rin trusted him enough to let go, though a part of him wanted to stay glued to Shiro out of fear of losing him again._

 _"It's all just a dream... none of this is real," Rin whispered to himself and Shiro only looked at him as if he knew._

 _"Make the best out of it, son. Even if I may not be, well—alive and kicking—I'll still live on in your dreams and memories," Shiro smiled and wiped Rin's tears away._

 _Rin was unaware of another individual approaching him from behind. They wrapped their arms over him and locked him in a tight embrace._

 _"Good morning, Rin," a familiar voice sounded from beside his ear._

 _"A-AMITIEL?!" Rin recoiled and broke from her. She was a little surprised at that. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"_

 _In my dream? was what Rin wanted to add._

 _"What do you mean? I'm here to celebrate my boyfriend getting his first job!" Amitiel smiled. Rin blushed_ intensely _and couldn't help but admire how much she was glowing with her heavenly smile and lively amber eyes. But when he registered what she had said, Rin howled at the top of his lungs and fetched himself a chair and hid behind it (even though it made no sense)._

 _"WHAT THE HELL?! THERE'S NO FRIGGIN' WAY YOU JUST SAID THAT!" Rin pointed a finger at her. It was shaking violently._

 _"What are you saying?" Amitiel asked confused, though she was still giddy and only chuckled lightly._

 _"You wanna kill me! There's no way we could be—!" Rin stopped himself as he noticed he was blushing uncontrollably. "This isn't real! It can't be real!"_

 _Amitiel appeared beside him and directed Rin's startled gaze to her. Rin found himself powerless to her charm. She placed her hand_ on _his cheek and he couldn't help but succumb to his desire to touch it tenderly. "Why would I kill you?" Amitiel asked innocently. "For what exactly?"_

 _Rin was shocked. Her_ behaviour _was unlike anything he had seen. The closest thing he had ever seen her like this was back at the camp. He can still vividly remember holding her hand and the unlikely emotional bond they had established amid pain and suffering._

 _"... For being the Son of Satan," Rin simply said as his bangs shielded the sadness in his azure eyes. Amitiel looked at him with heartache and pushed his locks of hair out of his face, revealing his broken eyes._

 _"But that is who you are, Rin. Why would I do that?" Amitiel spoke gently. At this point, Rin could only focus on Amitiel and no one else, not even Shiro Fujimoto, who was trying so hard not to smile like a maniac for how proud he was of Rin._

 _Rin kept repeating to himself Amitiel's words. It was the words he wished he had heard from her when he revealed himself. It was what Rin wished Amitiel had said instead of plunging her sword into him._

 _Rin felt his heart leap when Amitiel leaned in and her soft lips brushed against Rin's. She held him tenderly and Rin couldn't stop himself from giving in and pulled her close,_ savouring _this moment as if it was the first and last thing in this forsaken world that brought him peace and happiness. At this point, Rin really didn't want to wake up, yet at the same time, he was so shocked he was afraid of waking up screaming. This was the moment he longed for the most—he hadn't realized it until now._

 _This was the Amitiel he fell for._

 _But it wasn't real. It was all a figment of his desires._

 _Amitiel withdrew delicately from him and whispered, "I love you, Rin Okumura."_

* * *

 **不潔な火—Impure Fire**

 _ **Chapter 4: Fool's Paradise**_

* * *

Both Rin and Amitiel bolted awake at the same time in their own rooms. They were both covered in sweat and confused beyond comprehension. Rin was shaking uncontrollably and looked around him to recognize he was back in Kyoto in Toraya Inn. He felt his sheets, the floor, and the damp humid air, and the hot sunlight pouring in. Amitiel, on her part, was in too much shock to register what had just occurred. She buried her face in her hands and rubbed her temples vigorously in an effort to snap herself out of her trance. The two both got up and fetched a glass of water from the bathroom. Amitiel filled a cup to the brim and sipped it, while Rin blasted the faucet and splashed himself with icy cold water.

"What was that?" Rin whispered to himself. He looked up and saw his own reflection. He looked tired and miserable, and he noticed he somehow got food in his hair and clothes, and a horrid stench was coming from his breath. Rin gagged and gulped down a glass of water. He tried to recall everything that had happened before he passed out, and he could faintly remember seeing Amitiel and reaching out to her before he went down.

His dream he just had made his heart skip a beat everytime he thought about it. Though he tried to deny everything he felt, despite it was said that dreams symbolize your deepest emotions. Could it be he has suppressed feelings towards Amitiel? Rin shook his head violently and attempted to convince himself it wasn't real. He felt the opposite towards her. He was full of sadness, despair, hopelessness, and anger towards her.

Although he did feel resentful and angry towards Amitiel, his mind was exposing the truth right in front of him. And no man or woman can fool their own mind. To do so would make one a fool of themselves.

It would mean he would be lying to himself, something that Amitiel—the Angel of Truth—could see right through him.

He refused to accept his suppressed feelings towards the Archangel Amitiel, his potential killer.

Rin's heart dropped suddenly at an intrusive thought.

If Amitiel finds out about his feelings, she would kill him— _literally._

Amitie, on her part, was wondering who Father Fujimoto was.

* * *

Rin and Amitiel attended to their usual morning routines before they made their way to the dining hall. Rin threw on a pair of black jogging pants and a navy blue t-shirt with the words 'thank you 39', a pun at the Japanese and English equivalents of both words. Rin completely disregarded fixing his hair as it was beyond repair at the moment.

Amitiel, on her part, dressed in her formal white exorcist uniform and tended to her appearance as a patient individual. The two both made their way to the dining hall in the inn. They could already hear people chattering and smell breakfast dancing in the air. The dining area was very spacious and natural. It had a very traditional Japanese charm to it with the floor tables, the Tatami flooring and a wall of Shoji windows. There were elegant tropical plants arranged neatly around the corners of the walls and there was even a stone traditional lamp at one corner adorned with healthy plants around the decoration. It reminded Rin of the camping trip he and the others had before circumstances by Amaimon forced Rin to uncover his identity as the son of Satan.

Speaking of his memories with his supposed friends, Rin noticed Bon and Koneko had arrived before him. Konekomaru's face turned slightly pale at his presence and Ryuji didn't have to confirm what Konekomaru saw. He knew the only person that could trigger Konekomaru like that was the son of Satan.

Rin made eye contact with Konekomaru, however, Rin was first to break contact and he raised his shoulders up in insecurity in an effort to cover his distraught face. He shook away the nostalgia out of his head and sat down at an empty table across from the two. There was already food prepared for him.

"I don't remember anything last night," Ryuji started. "I think I somehow got drunk and passed out."

"H-Huh?" Konekomaru responded, though he still unsettled by Okumura's presence.

"I think Kirigakure-sensei gave us the wrong drinks! What a bad teacher!" Suguro said and took a sip of his tea. "Anyways, did you get to see your parents last night, Koneko?"

Konekomaru stopped chewing and swallowed. He still felt a lump in his throat. "...Oh, y-yeah..."

"That's good," Ryuji said. He finished up his meal and stood up. "Alright, I have to get going. We have a meeting to attend to."

"In the nightingale room, right?" Konekomaru asked.

"Yah, I'll meet you there."

Ryuji left the dining hall and Amitiel walked in as he headed out. They exchanged glances and said nothing. Both felt a condescending vibe from each other, though Ryuji tried to mask it with a glance of respect. Amitiel walked forward but stopped dead mid-way when she spotted Rin sitting near Konekomaru. Her heart suddenly fluttered by the mere sight of him. As soon as he looked up, his heart also fluttered with hers. Both stared at each other for a long minute without a word spoken. Rin could feel himself sweat and Amitiel was trying to restrain her hands from shaking too much.

It was such an awkward encounter ever since that... dream.

Amitiel gasped when Shima wrapped his arm around her and smiled cooly. "Yo, Amitiel-sama! Good morning, sweetie!" Shima spoke overly enthusiastic. Amitiel was startled by his sudden appearance and tried to move herself away from him, but as soon as he saw Rin, he shot a warm smile and said, "mornin', Okumura!"

At the same time, Konekomaru almost choked and looked baffled at Shima's friendly attitude towards the son of Satan.

"Did you make it back to your dorm in one piece? That was a wild night!" Shima said and continued to smile.

"... I don't remember," Rin said plainly while trying to stay composed and relaxed in front of Amitiel.

"Well, Amitiel was being a good girlfriend and carried you to your room! Anything interesting happen? Obviously, something happened because that's some serious bedhead!" Shima inquired curiously, while still staring with that perverted grin of his.

"H-Huh?!" Rin blurted out loud and protested. "S-She's not my girlfriend!... A-And nothing happened!"

"Oh, really? Because I was sure you were about to confess—"

Rin screamed at him and that was enough to shut Shima up. Konekomaru jolted for a sec and was afraid Rin would flare up again. Rin was blushing so hard it looked as if he had a horrible sunburn on his cheeks. The same thing could be seen with Amitiel, except she didn't understand what was happening.

"I must be going," Amitiel firmly said and tried to evade the situation, but Shima only led her to Rin's table and sat her down beside him. She reluctantly obeyed though a part of her wondered why she was complying. Rin and Amitiel exchanged awkward glances from the side and dared not do it again. Their blushing only got worse. Shima was obviously enjoyed by their flustered expressions on their faces.

"So, tell me what happened?" Shima asked again as he joined Rin and Amitiel and the table and ate. "You see, I'm a pro when it comes to this stuff, so I'm the one that settles things for those with conflicted... emotions, if you know what I mean," Shima winked at them, and both got shivers.

"Y-You..." Rin began.

"Yeah?" Shima smiled.

"You're talking to me like normal!" Rin said, attempting to change the awkward topic. He was lucky Amitiel wasn't fully understanding what Shima implied.

"What? You are normal, aren't you?" Shima continued to smile.

"But I'm—" Rin spoke but was cut off when someone howled Shima's name and someone's foot crashed into Shima's face and sent him flying across the room. Nearby exorcists were startled beyond reason. Renzo smashed onto the floor and looked back in disdain to find Kinzo Shima with Juzo accompanying him.

"HEY! What the hell was that for?!" Shima shouted back, rubbing his head.

"What? I kicked you. What are you, stupid?" Kinzo simply said.

"You're an asshole, Kin!"

"Renzo, you're looking good!" Juzo remarked sarcastically.

"Ugh! Juzo!" Renzo made a face full of irritation.

"Whaddya mean "ugh"?!" Juzo's forehead wrinkled.

"You guys are all healed?" Shima noticed Kinzo and Juzo were in their exorcist uniforms.

"Yah, our wounds were light. We're back to work starting today!" Juzo said, then he noticed Konekomaru's lonely presence at an empty table. "Konekomaru! Come join us!" Juzo gestured as he and Kinzo joined Renzo, Amitiel, and Rin.

Konekomaru shuddered and immediately bolted up. "I-I just finished eating! I h-have to go!" He shouted nervously.

"... What's with him?" Juzo asked as Konekomaru left.

"Who're these two? You datin'?" Kinzo asked Amitiel and Rin. Rin spat out his tea and the blushing returned to his cheeks. Amitiel only stayed silent while still blushing intensively.

"WE'RE NOT DATING, DAMMIT!" Rin retorted desperately.

"That's my friend, Okumura-kun! And that's Amitiel-sama!" Shima introduced them in such a carefree manner despite the awkward tension between the two.

"Oh, my little bro actually managed to find some real friends?" Juzo retorted sarcastically and Renzo yelled at him. "Nice to meet ya!"

"U-Uh..." Rin was in too much distress to respond properly. Amitiel only had to shoot him a glare to force Juzo to look away uncomfortably.

"That blond bastard is Kinzo. He's a moron. Renzo's the runt of the litter and he's a real perv, so go easy on him!" Juzo said as he and Kinzo sat down

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Renzo snapped his fingers. "Wanna come with me to the pool? We've got the day off! It's hot as hell out, and we'll invite the girls!" Renzo smiled while Kinzo dug into his bowl of rice beside him.

"T-The girls?" Rin stuttered and couldn't help but imagine Izumo, Shiemi, and Amitiel (of all people) in bikinis. He was glad and extremely lucky Amitiel couldn't read his mind.

Rin's lack of confidence in himself took over the best of him and forced him to back down. "Um... I'll pass," Rin said with a disappointed look in his tired blue eyes.

Shima leaned in closer to Rin and whispered near his pointed ear. "C'mon, man! I'll invite Izumo and Moriyama-chan, and you ask Amitiel-sama!" Renzo said. "This is your chance to get her!"

Rin felt his cheeks warm up suddenly, and he knew exactly what was happening because a part of him was embracing his desires as his tail was wagging excitedly and he couldn't help but smile confidently again. "Shima, you... you're a really awesome dude!"

"What? I'm the epitome of awesomeness!" Renzo shrugged his shoulders with a cool grin.

Rin turned towards Amitiel and made his move. "So...uh, Amitiel-sama. Wanna come—"

"Am I invited?" A voice interrupted Rin and he felt a tug on his shirt.

"GAH! SHURA?!" Rin exclaimed as she pulled him up.

"What about yer training? And what the hell happened to yer hair?" Shura inquired, startling Rin.

"I-I can't remember after you—"

"Yer slackin'!" Shura interrupted Rin before he could finish and pulled his shirt over his messy hair.

"You're the one who gave us booze—!" Rin continued.

"Well, it's yer fault for not telling the difference!" Shura shouted. "Today, you'll work extra hard to make up for the time you wasted!"

"But I was gonna go to the pool—" Rin protested.

"Is this really the time to go to the pool?" Shura whispered to Rin, and her menacing gaze was all Rin needed to back down on Shima's offer.

"... I guess not..." Rin's smile died out and he felt an amazing opportunity to make up with Amitiel had escaped his grasp.

Rin stood up and turned to Shima. "Sorry, man! But I can't go! Some other time, okay?" Rin said and Shima only nodded in understanding, despite he had no idea what training Shura was talking about.

"Move it!" Shura yelled and Rin yelled "crap!"

"What the hell were you thinking this was an appropriate time to have fun when your life is literally on the line?" Shura said as she forced Rin in front of her.

"I wanted to make up with—" Rin began.

"Amitiel-sama?" Shura finished for him. "Listen kid, there's no time to pay attention to your man hormones. This is serious business and your life depends on it. If you fail, Amitiel will kill you."

"Yah, but—" Rin protested, but Shura stopped him and looked straight in his eye.

"Amitiel is not your friend, bud." Shura said sternly. "She's a killer and is much more powerful than even the Paladin himself. It's... impossible to befriend her kind, let alone trust them."

"But a think there's a chance to redeem myself! If I can get Amitiel's trust then—" Rin speculated, though he was having difficulty articulating.

"Then what? Is that really gonna stop your execution? The only way to convince the Order to trust you is when you can control your flames, right?" Shura said. Rin only nodded silently. "That's why you need to practice with your training."

Rin looked at her, and he couldn't help but agree with her. There surely was no way Amitiel and his friends could trust him after keeping such a dark and deceiving secret from them. He didn't blame Amitiel for thinking she had been manipulated by him. He was only doing what he thought was best for his friends and their safety.

Was it the wrong choice to hide himself from the world? What difference would it make if he revealed himself much earlier?

What if Shiro taught Rin about his heritage much earlier? Would things be different?

Shura and Rin went to one of the rooftops. It was difficult to climb up to them, yet Shura made it up with ease. She truly was a ninja. For the next few hours, Rin trained his butt off trying to light the outside two candles while leaving the middle one untouched. Unfortunately, he couldn't succeed no matter how much concentration he used. It always results in the candles exploding or combusting vigorously. The only ones who enjoyed it were Shura and Kuro.

Rin moaned and flopped back to take a rest. "Goddammit. Why can't I do this stupid little trick?" Rin growled in frustration.

"Well if ya think it's some stupid little trick it should be easy," Shura said as she stood up and fetched a new set of candles. She lined them up and added, "Do you remember what almost happened back at camp? You burnt down the whole forest district because of your recklessness. You're lucky no one was hurt or killed. Amitiel would've had your head if you did."

Rin was silent with guilt.

"You having trouble controlling your flames means trouble for everyone around you," Shura said and Rin felt a heaviness hang over his chest with the guilt he already has. "If you controlled them much sooner no one would have to worry, be afraid, or suffer because of you."

Rin looked down and observed his own hands. There was some soot left over them from burning the candles.

"Amitiel is doing what's best for the world, and what's going to keep it safe," Shura continued. "If ya can't show her that, she will see no point in keeping ya alive—and I will be powerless to stop her."

Rin looked at the candles in front of him. "... Why does it feel like this training crap isn't helping me?"

Shura sighed, "this isn't just training for the hell of it. This is actual combat. These candles represent those you care about. As long as you can't control your flames, they will all die."

Rin sighed and looked at the candles, and in each one he saw Yukio, Shiro, Kuro, his friends... Amitiel. At that moment, he was terrified. He was terrified of killing those he loved.

"I-I..." Rin spoke but he stopped himself and relaxed. He raised his hands and pointed at the outside two. He concentrated enough to add a bit of flame and the tips.

They all burst into flames and melted.

"DAMMIT!" Rin screamed and threw his hands on his face.

"We'll thanks fer killin' me," Shura smirked. She reached into the bag and lined up another three candles. "This isn't something you can get on a whim. It will take some sincere perseverance and dedication. Just keep tryin'."

Rin looked up at Shura and saw how calm she was. He was so shocked she wasn't at all fearful of him. Wasn't she afraid he'd lose control again? How can she still have so much confidence in him despite he failed so many times?

Rin looked at the candles with a bit of determination and tried again.

* * *

"Amitiel?"

Amitiel turned around to find one of the Myo Dharani exorcists approaching her. He bowed to her and she asked, "who are you?"

"I'm afraid the director wants to see you," the exorcist spoke and gestured Amitiel to follow him.

"What for?" Amitiel said. She frowned in suspicion but followed him regardless.

* * *

The nightingale room was rarely used except for business meetings. In this case, the room was filled with exorcists from the Myo Dharani sect. Just like the rest of the inn, it had a Japanese charm to it and very traditional touches to the room. Konekomaru entered the room and bowed his head to the ground, saying, "I am Konekomaru of the Miwa family."

"Have a seat," Ryuji said and Konekomaru apologized for being late.

Konekomaru took a seat across from Ryuji and noticed there was a seat empty.

"Where's Ossama?" Konekomaru asked though Ryuji's disconcerted gaze was enough to answer that for him.

Konekomaru was startled when someone entered the room while coughing hysterically. Everyone in the room gasped when Juzo led his ill father, Yaozo, into the room. Yaozo was stumbling and struggled to hold on to his eldest son.

"Hello everyone," Yaozo said and coughed. "Thank you for gathering here on such short notice."

"Yaozo! Are you alright?" Konekomaru exclaimed as Juzo led his father to an empty seat reserved for him. "You look worse than yesterday!"

"I apologize you must see me in this wretched state. I'm afraid I must tell you something. I just received word that Ossama is busy and can not attend the meeting."

Ryuji was agape in anger and shock. What?!

"Nonetheless, the meeting must continue without him..." Yaozo coughed. Everyone went silent. "I have called all the family heads and all involved in the attempted attack on the Right Eye."

Yaozo didn't pause to add, "we have a traitor in our organization."

The whole room went into chaos as everyone began to argue and deny Yaozo's claim. He expected those reactions from the beginning.

"That's impossible!"

"What proof do you have that the traitor is in Myoda?!" One of the Hojo sisters exclaimed.

"That's right! We didn't know about the Right Eye until four days ago!"

"SILENCE!" Yaozo screamed, which provoked him to cough violently. "Only Myoda members were present... during the attack...!"

Uwabami jumped in, "and only someone from Myoda could break the seal." He turned his attention to Juzo. "Give us your recollection of the day's events."

"Y-Yes, sir..." Juzo spoke and stood up. "That day at the Keep, the sacred fire had been behaving strangely—so Ossama was called in to tend to it. And then... the sacred fire just went out of control! I've never seen anything like it before!"

The members around the table were unsettled by the news.

Juzo continued, "it began to eat away and melt the seal on the Right Eye. Mamushi tried to intercept, but I stopped her. My father was the one who risked his life to stop the poisonous gas from spreading. By the time Ossama finished the chant to reseal the Eye, the flames were extinguished and my father suffered a great deal from the Eye's exposure."

When Juzo finished, he calmly took a seat while everyone remained silent.

"The only ones present during the incident..." Uwabami started, "were my three daughters, Juzo, Yaozo, and the high priest Tatsuma. Six potential people."

Uwabami pulled out a file with Todo's photo and a case report on the Deep Keep incident. "Saburota Todo, former warden of the Deep Keep of the Japan Branch, was responsible for the theft of the Left Eye. Juzo... Mamushi... you had him for magic circles and seals in cram school."

Juzo and Mamushi's faces went white in shock.

"What are you suggesting!?" Juzo retorted.

"Father! Are you suspecting _me_?!" Mamushi exclaimed in absolute horror at his accusation. "Besides! Juzo was much closer to him!"

"What the hell?! I just liked his classes! That doesn't make us close!" Juzo protested. "You were the first one who approached the Eye!"

"I did it to protect it!" Mamushi argued.

"Then how did you know it was in danger?" Juzo asked, which hit Mamushi.

"W-What are you trying to say? You honestly believe I would do such a thing?!" Mamushi shouted. "I thought you of all people would understand...!"

Juzo's eyes widened when he realized he had gone too far. He backed down and didn't bother arguing anymore.

"Father, you have to believe me!" Mamushi turned to Uwabami.

"Mamushi! We're still just speculating! Calm down!" Uwabami shouted.

"That day..." Mamushi spoke more softly. "When the fire started moving, it looked like... Tatsuma-sama was controlling it...! He chanted a mantra I had never heard of before."

Ryuji's eyes began to widen when more members began to turn their suspicions on his own father. They began to accuse him of being the traitor. It felt as if Ryuji was the only one who was silent in the room while everyone else—including Konekomaru, who was trying to break up the argument—were arguing hysterically at each other.

"Isn't Ossama's absence proof enough?" An exorcist shouted amid the chaos.

Yaozo couldn't take it anymore and he smacked his fist on the table with whatever strength he still had. "ENOUGH!" Yaozo roared. Everyone stopped and went silent instantly, horrified by his outburst. Yaozo coughed hysterically before he cleared his throat and said, "I'm afraid I will have to summon plan B, since this investigation is going nowhere. Bring her in." Yaozo gestured for an individual to come into the nightingale room. Konekomaru, Ryuji, and Juzo were the only ones who recognized the guest.

It was Amitiel.

Everyone looked at Amitiel, then at each other, in confusion. Some whispered to other members while some remained silent.

"Um, sir, not to question your actions," an Exorcist said. "... but guests are prohibited to participate in the conference unless representing a family name"

"This is an exception." Yaozo gestured to Amitiel beside him. She stood valiantly before the members of Myoda. Most of them could tell she was in a higher position than them based on her elegant snow white exorcist uniform. "This girl right here... is known for some remarkable abilities. I believe she will uncover the spy."

Tension built up within the members. Some were nervous.

"How? How can a normal girl do this?" Uwabami asked.

Amitiel flashed her angelic eyes. There was a glowing speck in her pupils. It was all the exorcists needed to see to understand—except everyone was startled.

Multiple members stood up in retaliation. "You brought a demon?! What are you thinking?!" An exorcist shouted angrily.

"I need you all to trust me!" Yaozo coughed. "This demon is the only thing that can uncover the spy. We are _desperate_ here!"

"Why the hell should we even cooperate with that... _demon_?" Juzo growled. He was surprised he hadn't noticed her true nature when he met Amitiel in the dining hall. He wished he did and exorcised her on the spot.

"I am no demon," Amitiel began to speak. Just her mere voice made some exorcists tremble in her presence. "In fact, I am quite the opposite. My name is Amitiel, and I am the angel of Truth."

The whole room went into an uproar upon Amitiel's revelation.

"Angels don't exist!" Nishiki shouted back. Mamushi just remained silent.

"I see none of you have ever encountered one, do you only believe what you see, not in faith?" Amitiel asked.

"When have _angels_ ever helped us?" Juzo growled.

"She's lying! She's a demon!" An exorcist shouted and began to pull out his Mala beads.

"No..."

Everyone went silent in shock when Ryuji finally spoke up. Amitiel watched him calmly as he answered, "What she says is the truth." His face was slightly pale and he didn't dare look anyone in the eye, especially Amitiel's. "Believe me, I've seen it with my own eyes."

"B-Bon..." Konekomaru whispered.

"Everyone, I need you to push aside everything!" Yaozo added. "Archangel Amitiel will look through your soul for any lies. One by one, I ask that you step up and walk over to her. She will ask you questions and you must answer them honestly. If you don't, you risk planting suspicion on yourself. Do you understand?"

Everyone's silence indicated that they reluctantly agreed.

"Very well, I will go first as a demonstration," Yaozo proceeded and stumbled up beside Amitiel. Amitiel placed her hands on the sides of Yaozo's face. Yaozo had never felt powerless until this moment. Her mere touch was enough to surrender himself to her. Her dark brown glowing eyes dug into his conscious and consciousness for the truth. He felt as if he couldn't resist telling the truth. It was like he was being compelled to confess.

"Are you working for Todou?" Amitiel spoke, which threw Yaozo in a light trance.

"No, I do not," Yaozo spoke slowly.

Amitiel stared longer for any sort of indicator he would lie. After a few seconds, Amitiel released Yaozo and he fell down. Luckily, Juzo managed to catch him before he passed out.

"F-Father!" Juzo exclaimed and patted his cheek to wake him up.

"Thank you for your honesty, however, you are not the one," Amitiel simply spoke. She looked at Konekomaru and he felt compelled to approach her. He stood up and walk over to her. With every step he took his body felt colder and uncomfortable. When he was only a few inches away from her, Amitiel towered over him. She gingerly placed her hands on the sides of Konekomaru soft face and forced him to stare into his eyes. He was spellbound by her angelic eyes yet at the same time—he was so terrified.

Amitiel asked the same question and Konekomaru stuttered heavily with his answer. Amitiel nodded and released him, he stumbled a little and sat back down on his seat, still recovering from his little trance.

One by one, Amitiel confessed each exorcist. Juzo was a little indignant, though he pushed himself forward. After the Hojo sisters and Uwabami passed the test, Mamushi was next. She slowly stood up and walked over. Her hands were trembling and she could feel a cold sweat around her body. She began to feel nauseous the moment she looked at Amitiel and wished she could run away. Get away from that monster before her.

Amitiel and Mamushi stood in front of each other. Despite they were around the same height, Mamushi felt so small and cowardly in front of the Archangel Amitiel. Mamushi shuddered when Amitiel placed her hands on Mamushi's pale cheeks and stared into her yellow snake-like eyes.

"Are you working with Saburota Todo?" Amitiel spoke and Mamushi shivered.

The truth was slithering up Mamushi's throat like a snake. Amitiel called for it to reveal itself with her deadly dark brown eyes. Mamushi tried to resist but easily failed and spoke, "I'm not."

Amitiel stared a little longer and frowned. "Thank you for your honesty," was all Amitiel said. Sometimes Amitiel confirmed if they said the truth or not, sometimes she remained silent. In her case, Amitiel remained silent about Mamushi's honesty.

Mamushi heaved a big sigh of relief. It felt as if she were released from demonic possession itself.

"I am thankful for your honesty. But you are not the traitor," Amitiel spoke, which caused Mamushi's heart to drop slightly.

Amitiel was waiting for the next person to step up and be judged, but then she realized Mamushi was the last one. "Huh?" Amitiel looked confused.

The people gathered at the table were expectant for an answer.

"Is something wrong, Amitiel-sama?" Yaozo asked, noting her uneasiness.

"The traitor... isn't here." Amitiel's response was answered by gasps.

"Are you certain?" Yaozo remained calm. "Have we missed anyone?"

Everybody shook their heads. Juzo scratched his head in confusion and looked at Mamushi, but he could tell she was distraught for some odd reason.

"Mamushi?"

Mamushi immediately snapped out of it. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Juzo looked concerned, surprisingly.

"I don't know... I think so. But if the traitor isn't one of us... then who is?"

An uneasy silence echoed in the room.

Amitiel could only stand still and question her abilities.

It didn't make sense. Either someone in this room is skilled enough to lie.

Or something must be affecting her abilities.

* * *

 **A/N: OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING *insert the Office gif***

 **BRACE YOURSELVES PEOPLES. ITS COMING.**

 **Number of times Rin and Amitiel are mistaken as a couple (including back in Angel Fire): 3**

 **Please leave a review! I was a little disappointed I got so little reviews from the preview, I was sure people would go crazy about it. I hate to remind you guys, but reviews are my fuel. Without it, I see no point in continuing this story if no one will provide feedback. Every fanfic writer needs reviews to continue on their work. I'm doing this for free and on my own time, and I need to know if people actually enjoy this story.**

 **So please, give me some feedback. That's all I ask! :)**


	6. Chapter 5: Longing

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

 **"Okay, lemme try something!"** Rin exclaimed as he jumped up and clasped his hands together. He felt the cool breeze brush through his sweaty dark blue hair. It was dawn as the sky was painted a deep orange-yellow and navy blue. Rin estimated he had been training for 5 hours and melted a total of 238 candles. Shura had to make a trip into the storage and fetch some more multiples times.

"BOOM!" Rin exclaimed and the three innocent candles sitting before him all burned instantly. Rin groaned and threw a little temper tantrum.

"Yer too aggressive! Imagine more of a 'poof' than a 'BOOM'!" Shura said while switching the contents of her beer can in her fingers.

"Damn it!" Rin smacked himself in the head and puffed out his cheeks. "I think I'm gonna go cool off..."

"Good, ya need it," Shura commented.

"What the hell did she say? Poof?" Rin mumbled to himself and jumped off the roof, singing, "Poofy poofity POOF!"

Unknowingly, the row candles he left behind were lit except for the middle, just as Shura had waited days for him to accomplish. Shura spat out her beer and looked at Rin's unconscious achievement.

"Ugh, he's still got a ways to go..." Shura spoke to herself with a shake of her head and sipped her beer.

Meanwhile, Rin found a running fountain and proceeded to turn the faucet and douse himself in replenishing cold water. He drowned his head in the stream and shook his head violently, shaking the water off like a wet dog.

"Mother... Father..." Rin heard Konekomaru's voice nearby. He turned the tap off and stood up to the source of Konekomaru's voice. He saw he was praying alone in front of his parents' graves. A feeling of guilt hit Rin when he remembered that Konekomaru's parents were victims of the Blue Night. The rows of tombstones were nicely decorated with fresh flowers and were always tended to each day.

"Ancestors... I need your guidance," Konekomaru pleaded. "What should I do?"

"Konekomaru!" Rin shouted suddenly, which startled him. Konekomaru didn't even need to turn his head to see who it was. He quickly stood up and walked briskly away without making a sound and with an uncomfortable feeling in his throat.

Rin was shocked at Konekomaru's avoiding behavior. To be honest, it was worse than Amitiel's. Rin 's anger flared in the form of some flickers of blue flames throughout his body as he grits his fangs and dashed at Konekomaru, pouncing in front of his path to stop the young monk from escaping him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Stop running away from me!" Rin yelled angrily.

"Y-You stay away from B-Bon!" Konekomaru shouted back, cowering in the son of Satan's presence.

"I'm not talking about Bon! I'm talking to you, dammit!" Rin screamed, and his pupils slit a little before he quickly regained his cool.

Konekomaru was in too much fear to respond properly. "I-I..." He stuttered. "I-I have nothing to say! A-As you can see, I-I don't have parents or relatives..."

 _Or talent like Bon and Shima-san..._ Konekomaru wanted to add. Rin stood stunned.

"—The people of Myoda are like family to me! My only wish is to repay them! Myoda is my home... anyone who threatens them... is my enemy!" Konekomaru shouted.

Rin sighed in understanding. "I see..." Rin said but proceeded to smile warmly. "So if I'm not a threat... will you be my friend?"

Konekomaru wasn't expecting the son of Satan to smile amidst such hatred. How can Rin still smile after everything he's been through? Surely he would understand that his mere presence is a reminder of those who suffered the tragedy of the Blue Night. How can he show himself and still smile after the very thing he was related killed many of Konekomaru's family?

"To be honest, I don't blame you for being scared of me. My training isn't going so well. I can't seem to control my flames," Rin spoke as he looked down at his hand and clenched it. "—and that makes you uncomfortable—I understand that."

Rin turned around and made his way back to rooftops. "I'm going back for my training."

Rin proceeded back to the roof, however, he stopped and added, "but hold on. In case you haven't realized it, you do have something important! Or someone to protect! Right?"

Rin left Konekomaru to answer that for himself. A vivid image of Bon, Shima, and the rest of Myoda appeared in his head. It was all Konekomaru needed to see before he wept in silence.

* * *

 **不潔な火** **—** **Impure Fire**

 _ **Chapter 5: Longing**_

* * *

The aftermath of the meeting left the heads of the Myoda unsettled and cautious. Not even the higher powers are able to uncover the spy that lurked within the organization, or was it because Amitiel was incompetent? Surely the Angel of Truth would easily point out the lies in the spy during that meeting.

Many doubted the angel's abilities after that, but Yaozo still held his head high, determined to catch the traitor before it was too late.

"I don't understand why my own father would accuse me of betraying the Order!" Mamushi said. She was in her room and it was only illuminated by a small bedside lamp that cast a warm yellow glow.

"Mamushi, we're all stressed as it is," Juzo replied, trying to comfort her.

Mamushi frowned derisively at him. "How could you even think that I would do such a thing?"

"I'm sorry. I just... I was just as scared as you," Juzo spoke, bowing his head. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you... I never truly believed you'd betray us. Out of all of us, you're the most dedicated and loyal. I was stupid and I wasn't thinking properly."

"Don't you ever do that again... Especially with us like this," Mamushi said and she and Juzo intertwined hands. He felt so soft and warm while hers was cold.

Unbeknownst to the two, Amitiel was outside in the hall listening to the conversation. The meeting placed Amitiel in a state of puzzlement and chagrin regarding her self-competency. She had never failed to sense lies nor has she ever had to rely on eavesdropping on conversations to uncover the spy. It was humane and tiring. She didn't have time to become a spy herself to uncover another.

She replayed the meeting in her head in order to figure out what she did wrong. She didn't miss anyone and she was sure she would've sensed if someone lied to her question. No one lied nor did they try to dodge the question or twist their response to make it true. Amitiel can remember the faces of the people she looked at while scanning their minds for lies and secrets. There were a few who were confident enough to say the truth while some were nervous in her presence despite they were innocent.

Amitiel didn't realize until now that she overlooked something crucial when the tested Mamushi. Her face… she looked so uncomfortable and unsettled beyond normal: Pupils dilated, rigid body posture, seldom blinking, accelerated pulse, she also noted how she clenched her hands repeatedly and shuffled her gait often.

They were physical signs of lying, something Amitiel completely overlooked when her abilities failed. The subconscious always remains true even when the conscious lies.

Amitiel gasped when she realized Mamushi was the traitor she failed to uncover. But how? Amitiel could tell she was not a skilled enough liar to fool the Archangel of Truth. Only Satan himself could completely fool her.

Amitiel peeked over the entrance and was about to confront Mamushi, but watched Juzo lift Mamushi's chin and gently kissed her. Amitiel went still. She felt her heart flutter, similarly to how she felt when she dreamed of Rin and her... touching lips. The way he cupped her face and how she drew him closer, closed her eyes and felt more connected than ever before with someone. She couldn't explain it, but she swore she wished she was in that position—with Rin. It was such a strong desire that she longed it would happen to her. She hadn't felt this way before and to be honest—Amitiel was deeply unsettled by it.

 _What's happening to me?_ Amitiel thought. _I've... never felt this way before..._

Amitiel almost tripped when she sensed the two younger Hojo sisters nearby. She disappeared out of thin air and appeared in the next room (which was empty). The other Hojo sisters barged into Mamushi's room without a sign of consideration. Luckily Mamushi and Juzo broke away before they could notice.

"Mamushi..." Nishiki made a look of disgust. "What are you doing near that ape...?"

"Oh?...uh..." Mamushi looked at her nervously and thought up an excuse. "—I was giving him a hard beating...?"

"Whatever," Ao spat. "Shima, stay away from our sister!"

"Okay, fine!" Juzo raised his hands up in surrender and proceeded to leave. Once he did, he managed to look back and pucker his lips at Mamushi. She rolled her eyes in disgust and wished she beat him up. She wondered why him of all men.

Once the sisters were alone, Nishiki was first to speak. "I can't believe Shima would suspect you!"

"I bet he's the traitor!" Ao added. Mamushi only remained silent.

"Ao. Nishiki," She said.

"Yes?" Her sisters both responded quickly.

"You do believe me, don't you?" Mamushi said without looking back at her sisters.

"Of course, sis!" They shouted in defense.

The sisters hugged each other in a tight loop. At the same time, Amitiel watched Mamushi closely and saw she was unsettled for some reason. It was subtle as if she was trying to hide it, but it didn't work on Amitiel.

The sisters parted ways to return to their posts, leaving Mamushi alone in her room. As soon as she was, she looked around anxiously and proceeded to leave her room. Amitiel retreated to the room next door as Mamushi peeked her head outside the hallway. She did another look around to make sure no one was present. Mamushi slipped out of her room and proceeded down the hall, unaware Amitiel was trailing behind her.

Mamushi calmly walked to the Kyoto field office. As she did, Amitiel kept her distance behind her. Both did nothing that was deemed suspicious behavior. They simply strolled through the office as if nothing would happen. Some exorcists stopped Mamushi and spoke with her, but she found a way to excuse herself.

Amitiel kept her distance from Mamushi so that she would not notice the angel following her. Once they reached the door to the field office, Mamushi took a look around herself before she summoned one of her Nagas and it entered into the keyhole. Mamushi waited as the demon unlocked the door from the inside and it opened. Mamushi stroked her Naga and it remerged with her hand. She took another look at herself and entered. The metal door creaked closed and automatically locked.

Amitiel stood in front of the door and placed her hand on the keyhole. There was the sound of the door unlock and Amitiel opened it. She was about to take a step in but an invisible force stopped her. She recognized that feeling and looked down to find a very neat red line drawn across the entrance to the Keep.

 _Lamb's blood. Of course._ Amitiel thought.

She figured revealing her identity may have been a wrong idea. It also meant she exposed her weaknesses to the traitor.

 _I have to find a way past the barrier..._ Amitiel thought as she bit her lip. Amitiel sensed Juzo's presence approach the door to the field office. She quickly hid again in a nearby room and watched Juzo approach the door. She also sensed Ryuji's presence as well. She peeked out of the room she hid in and saw Ryuji laying low on the stairs. Both of them watched as Juzo looked around himself and pulled out the key to the field office.

 _The key to the field office?_ Both Amitiel and Ryuji thought. Both felt a suspicion rise within them. The key was only accessible to Yaozo and Uwabami. Could it be Juzo managed to steal it?

 _Juzo... what are you doing?_ Ryuji thought, suspecting that he may be the traitor Amitiel exposed.

Amitiel, on her part, was wondering if Juzo was also working with Mamushi. But she didn't sense any lies from him when she interrogated him, and there were no physical signs now that she recollected his interrogation. So what is going on here?

After Juzo entered the Keep and closed the door, Ryuji emerged from his hiding spot and observed the locked door. He reached for the knob and was about to twist it but Amitiel appeared in his field of vision, causing him to yelp and go into a defensive position.

"A... Amitiel!" Suguro gasped. "What are you—"

Ryuji already understood why she was here.

"You... You're gonna arrest him, aren't ya?" He said, though Amitiel merely looked at him silently.

Amitiel approached him, though each step she took felt menacing to him. "I must do what is commanded to me. This is none of your business, Ryuji Suguro."

Amitiel was about to block him from approaching the door any further, but he seized her collar and pulled her close, even though she was unfazed or shocked by his rash actions.

"Release me, human," Amitiel bellowed.

"Tell me the truth! What's going on here?!" Ryuji shouted and Amitiel only had to touch his hand to make him stop.

"Let me show you the truth," Amitiel said as she placed her hand on the door and the other side clicked and the door creaked open. Amitiel gestured Ryuji to enter and he did. Though before he took another step, he waited for Amitiel to follow.

"Let's go."

"I can't," Amitiel responded.

"Why not?" Ryuji asked confused.

Amitiel pointed at the red line that was painted on the doorway. "You must disrupt the barrier of lamb's blood or else I cannot proceed."

Ryuji looked at her, then at the entrance to the Keep. He observed the trail of lamb's blood on the floor, and at that moment, he knew he was being tested. Amitiel must've known she couldn't enter the Keep without someone disrupting the seal—so she had someone do it for her.

But at the same time, he felt he was given the choice to let her in or keep her out. Amitiel was putting her trust into him.

Suguro used his shoe to smear a part of the barrier off, allowing the angel to step in as well.

"Let's go," Suguro lowered his gaze and the two made their way.

Ryuji and Amitiel trailed behind Juzo. Not too close that he can notice them, and not too far that they can't see him. They followed Juzo to the elevator to the Keep where he entered it and pressed a button to go to the designated floor where the Eye was kept. As soon as Juzo entered the elevator, Amitiel pulled out her blade and threw it in his direction. Ryuji shouted but Amitiel silenced him and the blade only grazed Juzo, startling him as he forced the doors closed and he descended.

Amitiel ran towards the elevators and grabbed the doors and pushed them open. Metal screeched as she forced them open, leaving large hand dents in the metal. Ryuji was agape at how monstrous and powerful she really was. He yelled at her when she jumped and disappeared down the elevator shaft. Ryuji screamed at how reckless she was behaving and already she had damaged enough of the Keep as it is.

Ryuji desperately listened after he heard a loud thud he assumed was Amitiel landing on top of the elevator.

Amitiel slashed the lock off the trap door to the inside of the elevator and she kicked it down. Brandishing her angelic blade, Caliel, Amitiel dived inside and was immediately thrown into a battle between Juzo. Juzo attacked while Amitiel easily dodged by jumping on the walls, floor, and ceiling while remaining on the defensive. She wasn't going to attack unless she had to.

"I'm not the one you should be after! I'm doing this to protect the Eye from the traitor!" Juzo shouted as he swung his staff and Amitiel jumped and landed on the tip of it, balancing herself.

"That is why you shall take me to her. There is no need to fight me," Amitiel calmly said as she dodged his movements.

"Her?" Juzo asked and stopped.

"I'm sure you know who I am referring to," Amitiel said and it provoked Juzo. His attacks became faster and stronger from sheer anger, though he was also losing focus—something Amitiel decided to take advantage of.

Right now, her priority was to stabilize him.

The two collided and Juzo struggled to overpower her ridiculous strength, he swung his staff at her but she caught it and drove it straight into the floor of the elevator.

The elevator door opened and the two watched as they saw a group of exorcists scattered all over the floor. All were unconscious or injured.

Juzo gasped and ripped his staff out of the metal flooring of the elevator and he charged for the gates to the Keep. Amitiel quickly pursued him but she was blown back by a force.

She looked at the entryway and saw another trail of lamb's blood. This time it was fresh and still wet. There were footprints from Juzo stepping into it and leaving a trail behind.

Amitiel hissed and appeared back with Ryuji at the entrance. He shouted in surprise and didn't hesitate to express his profound disbelief.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You could've killed him!" Ryuji said. "And was it really necessary to destroy the friggin' elevator, for god's sake?"

"I'm doing this to stop Juzo from reaching the Eye. If I did, she would have gotten it first," Amitiel explained very calmly.

"What do you mean 'she'?" Ryuji's eyes widened and he didn't hesitate as he latched on to Amitiel and they teleported back to the lower floor to the Keep. As soon as they did, Ryuji's knees buckled and Amitiel lowered him to the ground.

"My flight can be overwhelming to human beings," Amitiel said as she gripped her sword and looked ahead at the door. Ryuji coughed and managed to look up, only to see his comrades fallen on the floor. Scattered like bodies.

"O-Oi! OI!" Ryuji cried out as he approached one of the fallen guards, he coughed hysterically, clutching his stomach. "Are you all right? What happened?!" Ryuji shouted.

He looked at the doors to the Keep and it creaked open as if gesturing him to enter it.

 _What the hell are you doing, Juzo?_ Ryuji thought despite Amitiel knew who the real culprit was.

Juzo had already reached the dark, dimly lit Keep and slowly got up in front of a passed-out guard. He looked at the pillar where the Eye stood and saw a familiar figure stand before it as if waiting for him.

"What are you doing..." Juzo spoke and the figure turned their head around and their long, white hair spun with it. Their gold, snake eyes were all Juzo needed to identify who it was. "—Mamushi!?"

Amitiel and Ryuji had entered the Keep and hid in the background, using the dark to their advantage. Amitiel pulled him down to the ground and covered his mouth after he saw Juzo confronting Mamushi.

 _Mamushi?!_ Ryuji gasped. _Was she the traitor? So Juzo—!_

"Why... but the angel—!" Juzo looked at Mamushi with desperation in his eyes and his heart ached.

"My accomplice placed a spiritual barrier around my consciousness, to protect myself. He knew there was a possibility I may be judged by Amitiel and used this as cover," Mamushi explained and revealed a seal that was drawn onto the left side of her chest. It looked unlike any other seal Juzo recognized. Amitiel recognized the seal immediately and clenched her teeth out of anger. This was why she didn't sense Mamushi's lies. It all made sense now. But this seal was not yet known to humans, which meant a demon was at work.

Juzo was appalled.

"Why are you doing this?" Juzo shouted.

Mamushi remained quiet.

"You were the one most dedicated to Myodha!" Juzo raised his voice. "SAY SOMETHING!"

Mamushi gently closed her eyes for a moment, then snapped them open as she shot him a menacing glance. "I did it to wake up Myodha," Mamushi finally spoke. "The real traitors are _Tatsuma Suguro_ and the Honorary Knight of the Japan Branch, _Mephisto Pheles."_

"What are talking about?!" Juzo was baffled.

"Eight years ago, soon after cram school, Todo-sensei told me about it. He told me about the existence of the right eye, which I knew. But what I didn't was that a Left Eye also existed under Pheles' protection in the Deep Keep. As an exorcist that risked her life protecting the Right Eye—why was I not informed that the Left Eye also exists? I was taught by Tatsuma Suguro that the Left was destroyed. So why did he lie?" Mamushi said, which piqued Juzo. "Todo-sensei suspected Mephisto had been hiding the truth for a reason, and he wanted to expose him. So I decided to cooperate."

"Mephisto Pheles, the Impure King, Tatsuma Suguro... I worked tirelessly in secret investigating them for many years. I don't have any solid proof, but one week ago—after Mephisto's hearing in the Vatican's Opera Courthouse—I found conclusive evidence," Mamushi continued, and Juzo felt a chill crawl up his spine at what evidence she uncovered.

"Mephisto Pheles has secretly raised the child of Satan," Mamushi simply said as she touched fingers in a ritualistic formation.

"What?!" Juzo was appalled by the information, to the point he didn't know how to respond or deny it.

"—and to do that, he used Myodha's principal object of worship, which was Tatsuma Suguro's responsibility to protect it but was stolen by a Knight of the True Cross. I dare say Tatsuma knew it all along and betrayed us."

"No, you're wrong!" Juzo finally found the strength to speak. "The High Priest would never betray us! How dare you spur such blasphemous lies?! What proof do you have he betrayed us?!"

"I don't have it yet, but in time, all will be clear enough that proof will not be needed," Mamushi spoke as she whispered, " _Aum amrte hum phat!"_

Mamushi's hands morphed into snakeheads that slowly elongated until they separated from her body and curled around her, protecting her, while one approached the Eye behind her.

"If you really love me as you claim, then understand why I have to do this!" Mamushi shouted. "We cannot trust our superiors or the Vatican itself! Todo-sensei will seal the Eyes somewhere safe!"

"Stop, Mamushi! You don't have to do this! You need to report this to the higher-ups!" Juzo yelled but held his staff in preparation as the Naga Mamushi summoned hissed at him.

"Despite all that is obvious about Tatsuma's treason, Myodha still looks up to him as a leader! The higher-ups will only accuse me! My father is so blind from his loyalty to the Order that he would dare accuse me as well!" Mamushi yelled, and it was obvious she was becoming angry. "And the Shimas are the worst! You'll just laugh and say I'm insane! I love you, Juzo, but I know you're too brainwashed by Myodha's sick lies!"

Ryuji's only thoughts running in circles in his head was the same feelings Mamushi felt when he saw those blue flames engulf Rin Okumura. It was the absolute terror that no one took seriously. Amitiel still remembered that rainy night when Rin revealed himself. It was the most painful feeling she had ever felt in her existence.

"Mamushi! Stop it!" Juzo pleaded.

"No one understands! I'm doing this—to save Myodha!" Mamushi's Naga lunged at Juzo and he was forced to fight someone he didn't want to.

"Then as your lover, I must stop you!" Juzo brandished his staff.

Ryuji bolted out of the shadows though Amitiel wasn't quick enough to stop him. "Juzo! Mamushi! Stop it!" Ryuji shouted as chaos broke out between the two. "Stop fighting! This isn't right!"

Amitiel jumped off the metal rail and quickly landed between Juzo and Mamushi and deflected both of their attacks. Both were launched back as Amitiel pushed them away from each other. She stood between the two, holding her blades at each of the exorcists.

"Juzo! Mamushi!" Ryuji called and quickly rushed to them.

"Ryuji-sama!" Mamushi gasped and Juzo looked at him with disdain.

"How dare you turn yourselves against each other so easily!?" Ryuji yelled, almost to the point there were tears in his eyes. "You don't have to fight like this! Please, Mamushi! Please trust us!"

Mamushi looked at Ryuji with the same respect she had for him, but that trust he expected from her was gone.

"I'm sorry, Ryuji-sama, but please understand I'm doing this for your sake," Mamushi replied, shooting a nasty glare at Amitiel despite the angel wasn't at all threatened by it. "My trust in the Order died a long time ago. Nothing will change that."

"If you refuse to stand down, then I will have no choice but to bring you back to your father as a corpse," Amitiel lowered her gaze and twisted her blade at Mamushi.

"I would rather die than put my faith in the Order's greedy clutches!" Mamushi yelled and her Nagas attacked Amitiel. The angel calmly brought her blades together and summoned Caliel. Amitiel prepared to assimilate Mamushi's familiars in one blow.

Amitiel took a step and launched a wave of light but her body suddenly froze and she screamed in agonizing pain. Everyone covered their ears as Amitiel's screams sounded horrifying to humans. The lights that lit the flooring shattered and the water rippled violently. Amitiel dropped her sword and fell to the ground. Her body twitched as she tried to resist her body from what felt like it was turning to stone. The glow from her eyes and her sword suddenly faded away and Amitiel felt powerless as if her powers had been drained away from her.

"Amitiel!" Ryuji yelled and rushed over to her. He saw she was wincing in pain while clutching her chest. Mamushi seized the moment to strike Ryuji but Juzo snapped out of his trance and deflected her Naga's attack. Meanwhile, another Naga coiled around the pillar holding the Eye of the Impure King hostage and Juzo immediately knew he must use all his strength and power to prevent Mamushi from freeing it.

"Amitiel! What happened!?" Ryuji nudged her and she opened her eyes. When she looked at him, they were human. "The... The barrier... someone resealed it..."

"Shit...!" Ryuji cursed under his breath and threw Amitiel's arm over his shoulder, leading her to safety.

"You... have to stop Mamushi..." Amitiel breathed heavily as Ryuji lowered her onto the floor and leaned her against the wall.

Ryuji Suguro didn't know what to do.

Unbeknownst to them, a team of exorcists had already been dispatched after Tatsuma Suguro, Yaozo Shima, and Uwabami Hojo all saw the secret video surveillance footage from the Kyoto field office.

The disappointment Uwabami felt could never be understood.

He felt like a part of him died inside.

* * *

 **A/N: FINALLY I UPDATE SOMETHING AFTER SO LONG.**

 **I am so sorry for leaving everyone hanging this month. I hoped to get this chapter finished but for some reason, when school ended, all my motivation just disappeared. I don't know how to explain it, but I thought if I had a lot of free time I would be enthusiastic about finishing this chapter, instead it was the opposite.**

 **So sorry for the wait, I know I'm a shitty person and I don't know why people still read this despite my choppy schedule.**

 **To make matters worse, this chapter isn't complete yet. I have yet to finish it completely, but maybe I'll just finish it in another chapter as I'm pretty sure this chapter would be 10k words and I like to avoid lengthy chapters.**

 **I'm sorry for everything.**

 **Also, I want to say something to the guest Austin23 : your comment sounded very aggressive and while I understand you must be frustrated, that's not the proper way of addressing your concerns, in fact, it discourages me. I'm sorry for making you wait but understand that writing this story can be a chore rather than a pasttime.**


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